Jan Bowery
January 30, 1961 - September 18, 2022

"Please see the \"Photos & Videos\" link (this page upper right) for her photos"

"Beautiful and talented singer, wife, sister, aunt, and friend, Jan Eileen Bowery, age 61, formerly of Stevenson, Washington, died September 18 in Zearing, Iowa, from complications of Huntington?s Disease (HD), a fatal genetic illness. Jan was born January 30, 1961 to Dave and Alyce Rosenberger, and gleefully welcomed by 7½ -year old sister, Julie. She grew up in southern California, graduating from Lowell High School in 1979. Her childhood included lots of swimming, hiking, and dancing. Inheriting the amazing singing pipes from her mother, she pursued lessons, and began solo work at age 14 as Dorothy, in her school?s musical, The Wizard of Oz. Jan starred in community musical theater productions such as South Pacific, Carousel, and Man of La Mancha. She attended Azusa Pacific University, performing and traveling all over the U.S. with their elite 8-member gospel singing group. With APU?s concert choir recorded a beautiful album, Exaltation, a Ron Huff project. Later she moved to Minnesota to front the rock band, Kicker! She worked in dinner theater and pursued opera training. Once she caught the opera bug, there was no looking back. She moved with her first husband, Neil Conrad, to New York City to pursue the stage. A lyric coloratura soprano, Jan performed over twenty operatic roles with companies such as Amato Opera, New England Lyric Operetta, and Long Island Opera. Her roles included Gilda in Rigoletto and Donna Elvira in Don Giovani. Jan said in a local 2002 newspaper, ?When in New York I caroled professionally for a gazillion years with Cobblestone?s Dickens? Characters for corporate parties and events at Lincoln Center, World Trade Center, the Water Club, Rockefeller Plaza, private parties for Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Brokaw, the opening night of Patrick Stewart?s A Christmas Carol, and The Late Show with David Letterman.? After 14 years in New York, a divorce and the Twin Towers disaster, she moved to the Columbia River Gorge area. Jan was featured with the Hood River Sinfonietta, taught voice lessons, and performed theater productions including Skamania Performing Arts State Fair in 2002. She married Jim Bowery in 2007, they traveled some and moved to Shenandoah, Iowa near Jim?s family. HD causes slow decline; she suffered many, many years. Her husband at all times was her hero and sacrificed much to help her. She was in nursing homes for seven years where Jim also cared for her, plus his extended family provided great assistance. Besides singing, Jan loved all kinds of food, friends, her faith, travel, nature and precious dogs Lexxi and Lacy. Jan and Jim were HD warriors, fighting the illness by life-style improvements plus raising awareness and funds for a cure. Jan was preceded in death by her parents, older sister Chelly, and mother-in-law, Rose Bowery. She leaves behind her faithful husband Jim, the Bowery relatives, sister Julie Diers (Allen), cousins, nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and nephews, and care providers at Zearing Health Care Center. Her ashes will be scattered in Stevenson with a memorial service to be announced. For links to her performances and memorials please join her FaceBook page "