Jessena Bowman

Memorial services for Jessena Bowman, 79, of Custer City, will be held at 10:30A.M., Saturday, November 5th, 2022, at First Christian Church in Custer City, Oklahoma. Jessena Sue (Brasher) Bowman was born on December 13, 1942, on the family farm near Norman, Oklahoma to Jesse B. and Sarah E. (Austin) Brasher. She passed away on October 25, 2022.Jessena was preceded in death by her husband Dwaine, her parents, in laws Floyd & Imogene Bowman, sister Louise Davis, and sister-in-law Judy Terrell. She is survived by daughter Sarena Cowan and husband Eric of Mangum, Oklahoma, Granddaughter Erica Murray and husband Kaleb, great grandchildren Kannon & Hadley Murray of Elk City, Oklahoma. Grandson Jake Cowan and wife Hannah, great grandson Parker of Weatherford, Oklahoma. Her brother and sister-in-law Richard & Patti Bowman of Custer City, sister-in-law Trudy Bowman of Custer City, sister, and brother-in-law Deana & Joey Harris of Clinton. Brother-in-law Larry Terrell of Custer City. Numerous nieces and nephews and great nieces & nephews. Jessena and her family moved from the family farm to Norman, four blocks from the OU campus. This is where her love for the OU Sooners began. She grew upon the same neighborhood as the then OU Football coach Bud Wilkinson lived. His son Jay was one of the neighborhood kids. She had fond memories of those days. She graduated from Norman High School in 1960, and later OU in 1964.Jessena had vivid memories and stories, such as paying 25 cents to sit in the endzone of Memorial Stadium and driving to Dallas to watch the OU vs. Texas game at the Cotton Bowl. Jessena rarely said any type of curse words and if she did it was usually during an OU football game. Jessena came to Custer City in 1965 to teach Home Economics. She met and married Dwaine Bowman on December 23, 1966. They shared almost 51 years of marriage until his passing on October 22, 2017. She loved him more than life itself and was the best caretaker of him as his health failed. From this marriage

she gained the best set of in-laws, a brother & three sister in laws. For over 50plus years they cared, laughed, and loved together. In1968, daughter Sarena was born. Jessena was the most devoted and patient mother. She passed along her love of many things on to Sarena. Dwaine & Jessena opened their hearts & home to sisters Stephanie and Cynthi Power, and they considered them part of the family. Sarena married Eric Cowan in 1990and Jessena’s heart swelled with pride even more over her grandchildren Erica &Jake. Kaleb and Hannah joined the family and she thought they were the perfect spouses for her grandchildren. The true sunshine of her life were her three great-grandbabies, Kannon Wade Murray, Parker Wayne Cowan, and most recently Hadley Ryan Murray. Her face lit up when she spoke of them. Jessena was a truly genuine, selfless, and friendly person during her time on Earth. She touched so many lives through working at school or in the public. She loved managing the school lunchroom and seeing the students' faces every day. Custer Schools had some of the best tasting food around. Helping with proms, FFA & FHA banquets, and sports banquets were a labor of love for her. The school yearbook was dedicated to her several times. Later, Jessena worked at Al-Bar fabrics. She enjoyed sewing herself and found joy in helping customers choose patterns and fabrics for their projects. Through the years she made many clothes and costumes for her daughter, grandchildren, and family members. Jessena went back to her love for cooking, this time at Cafe Clinton. She took pride in the menu and preparing meals for groups and clubs that were held there. Jessena developed a love for art in high school and had kept many sketches of her work from that time. While living in Custer City she became involved in helping build and paint Christmas decorations displayed during the holidays. She was instrumental in helping Dwaine build many wood projects for family and friends. Her mother, Sarah, was an avid gardener so Jessena grew up surrounded by flowers and plants. She marveled at the beauty of all flowers, but Irises were her favorite.

In her quiet time Jessena loved to watch the birds that visited her feeders on the porch. She also loved to read since she was a young girl. Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys were her favorites as a child. As an adult she read romance novels and always carried a book with her wherever she went. Her belief in God got her through the dark times of her life. She believed everything happened for a reason and it was all a part of God’s plan. She started her day with a prayer and ended the same way. She truly lived by God’s word and grace. Words that described Jessena would be patient, proud, selfless, compassionate, and loving, just to name a few. She was the best listener and gave good advice when needed. Jessena could strike up a conversation with anyone and could talk your leg off. She was one of the sweetest ladies there ever was. She will be missed by many.