Bowers

Dorothy May (Bowers) Furley, 91, of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010, at her home. The family will receive friends Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at The House of Prayer of Shepherd Ministries. The service will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the church. Burial will be in Harmony Cemetery, Falling Waters, W.Va. Arrangements are by Brown Funeral Home, Martinsburg.

marlob@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - Former Washington County Commissioner Ronald L. Bowers was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol Monday night after the sport utility vehicle he was driving crashed into a mailbox on Maugansville Road and plunged down a 10- to 15-foot embankment into a stream off Village Mill Drive, Washington County Sheriff's deputies said Tuesday. Bowers, who has been administrator of the Maryland Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board since April 2001, was driving a state vehicle at the time of the 10:30 p.m. accident, Washington County Sheriff Charles Mades said Tuesday.

Bowers to run for sixth term Washington County Commissioner Ronald L. Bowers will file for re-election to an unprecedented sixth consecutive four-year term in that office this morning. Bowers said Monday he wants to continue being a "people's commissioner" and "solving problems with common sense. " Bowers, 54, a receiving clerk at Mack Trucks, said providing jobs with higher wages is his top priority. The county has worked for years to help the unemployed, and now, with unemployment at record lows, must help the underemployed, he said.

A due process hearing for fired Smithsburg Police Chief Tommy Bowers has been rescheduled for Thursday, Dec. 4, at 5:30 p.m. at the Town Hall. The previously announced Nov. 25 date posed a conflict for one of Bowers' attorneys, according to Edward Kuczynski, an attorney for the town. The previous date had been set by a U.S. District Court judge who heard arguments from both sides during a Nov. 6 hearing in Baltimore. Bowers' lawsuit claims the town acted improperly by firing him in August without a due process hearing.

Former Washington County Commissioner Ronald L. Bowers will be the target of a "roast" at a Hagerstown Community College fund-raising event. The roast at 6 p.m. Friday, March 17, will raise money for the college athletic scholarship endowment fund. The event will be held at the Four Points Hotel on Dual Highway in Hagerstown. Bowers said Thursday he is glad to help the fund with what he predicts will be a "bittersweet experience. " "It is worth it," he said. "It gives people a chance to cut me up," Bowers said.

By BRENDAN KIRBY and STEVEN T. DENNIS Staff Writers SMITHSBURG - Supporters of fired Smithsburg Police Chief Tommy Bowers plan to show up en masse at the Town Council meeting tonight at 7 p.m., said organizer Sherry Owen. The meeting "will probably be the longest in the history of Smithsburg. It's going to be a wild meeting," Owen said. Bowers said Monday that he had thought about going to see what the mayor and council would say about him, but probably won't go. "I just wanted to see if they had the guts to say anything else.

gregs@herald-mail.com Former Washington County Commissioner Ronald L. Bowers has requested that a jury hear charges he was driving under the influence of alcohol on Jan. 6, when police said they found him walking away from a state vehicle that was in a creek. Bowers, 59, of 13933 Distant View Drive in Maugansville, faces one count each of driving or attempting to drive while under the influence, driving or attempting to drive while under the influence per se, driving or attempting to drive while impaired by alcohol and failing to stop after an unattended property accident in connection with the incident.

Bowers pitching downtown projects By LAURA ERNDE / Staff Writer Former Washington County Commissioner Ronald L. Bowers has been lobbying for downtown Hagerstown revitalization projects, including three that involve buildings owned by the Perini family. Bowers, who has done consulting work for the Perinis, has met with state and local officials about revitalization projects at two other Perini-owned buildings downtown - the Keystone Building in Public Square and the Washington County Department of Social Services on North Potomac Street.

The controversial bypass of Robinwood Drive was voted down by county government in the 1970s, '80s and '90s, but that isn't why former Washington County Commissioner Ron Bowers objects to it. In an interview this week, Bowers told me that the proposed $7 million project is shortsighted because it's "a solution for today and not for tomorrow. " Instead, he said, the county needs a comprehensive road network plan that would deal with the expected traffic needs in that area for years to come.

By STEVEN T. DENNIS Staff Writer Washington County Commissioner James R. Wade accused fellow Commissioner Ronald L. Bowers Friday of trying to cover up his role in creating financial problems for the county by calling for an audit of the Water and Sewer Department. "Ron created this crisis and is doing his best to cover up his involvement by claiming he doesn't know or 'nobody told me,'" Wade said. Wade said the heat was on Bowers because of the water and sewer problems and said Bowers was looking for a way out by playing dumb.

The economic development goals accepted by Washington County officials Tuesday have been well-received and provide a workable framework for future growth, according to some community leaders reached for comment Wednesday. “We're grateful for the economic development commission for reaching out to us and other stakeholders in the community,” said Brien Poffenberger, president of the Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce. The Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission's top priorities include an assessment of current infrastructure needs, workforce development, Hagerstown's City Center, a countywide marketing plan and leaving the EDC as the lead agency for economic development efforts within the county.

Garman “Bob” L. Bowers Sr., 85, of Fairplay, Md., passed away Monday, April 22, 2013, at the home of his daughter. Born Oct. 11, 1927, in Sharpsburg, Md., he was the son of the late Kenneth W. and Nora (Benner) Bowers. His wife of 46 years, Wahneta F. Bowers, preceded him in death in 2002. Garman worked at Brandt Cabinet Works, Vertol Aircraft, Custer Channel Wing, Fairchild Industries, and retired from Mack Trucks, Inc. He was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Funkstown, Md. He was a U.S. Army Veteran of World War II. He is survived by one son, Garman L. Bowers Jr.; one daughter, Karen W. Pierce and husband, Michael A.; two grandsons, Michael A. Pierce II and wife, Kelly G., and Garman L. Bowers III and fiancée, Olivia F. Tomsic; one great-grandson, Joseph B. Pierce; and one great-granddaughter, Chloe M. Pierce.

Smithsburg Emergency Medical Service provided lunch to the staff at the Washington County 911 Center as a token of appreciation for National Public Safety Telecommunications Week on Wednesday, but workers had no time to relax. Dispatchers grabbed food, went back to their desks and continued working as they ate. Washington County Emergency Communications Center Assistant Supervisor Tina Bowers described a lunch in the call center room as “one of the best things” the staff could get. “There are a lot of times during the day we get busy, and people don't even have time to step out and go to the bathroom, much less eat,” Bowers said.

Eugene E. "Joe" Bowers, 70, of Mercersburg, Pa., died Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The viewing will be Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lininger-Fries Funeral Home Inc., Mercersburg. The service will be Friday at 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be at Welsh Run Church of the Brethren Cemetery near Mercersburg.

Marvin Taylor Bowers, 88, of Shepherdstown, W.Va., died Thursday, March 7, 2013. The family will receive friends Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. at Brown Funeral Home, Martinsburg, W.Va. The service will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Military graveside services will be in Harmony Cemetery, Falling Waters, W.Va.

Ron Bowers was inducted as the new president of the Rotary Club of Long Meadows at the first club meeting of 2013. Bowers was unanimously elected to the office at the club's annual meeting in December. Bowers' term begins earlier than the customary July 1 starting date since the previous president, Magnus Dahlgren, had to take a leave of absence to tend to work-related duties. Donna Long, club treasurer and sergeant-at-arms, was elected to serve as Bowers' vice president. She is expected to serve as club president in the 2014-15 Rotary year.

Leon R. Bowers, 78, of Dargan, Md., passed away peacefully on Thursday evening, Dec. 13, 2012, at Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown, Md. Born Oct. 2, 1934, in Hagerstown, he was the son of the late Samuel and Viola (Shaw) Bowers. Leon attended Dargan schools. He was a lifelong member of Samples Manor Church of God in Dargan. Leon was a farmer all of his life, and owned and operated Clearview Farm in Samples Manor, Md., and Lakeview Farm in Rohrersville, Md. When not working on the farm, Leon loved spending time with his family and hunting.

Elizabeth Frances Bowers, 67, of Falling Waters, W.Va., and formerly of Sharpsburg, Md., passed away peacefully Monday, Dec. 10, 2012, surrounded by her family and friends at Williamsport Retirement Center, Williamsport, Md. Born, Jan. 31, 1945, in Sharpsburg, to the late Francis Reid and Ida Faith Mongan Saunders. She was a homemaker. She worked part-time with H&R Block in Hagerstown, Md. She attended St. John's Episcopal Church, Hagerstown. She was also a longtime member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church Sharpsburg.