Obituary: Florence Bowes

Florence Bowes "Will Be Missed" Our beloved mother, sister, aunt, and friend, Florence ("Flossie") Bowes, passed away Friday, May 18, at South Davis Community Hospital of natural causes. She was a beautiful, vivacious, and talented woman with a gift for enjoying life and making friends. She will be deeply, deeply missed. Florence is survived by her most beloved son Alan, daughter-in-law Becky, sister Elsie Cutler, nephews Jan Cutler, Paul Cutler, Elbert Norborg, Loren Norborg, John Norborg, and Walter Lorell, and niece Jeanne Blumberg. She was preceded in death by her brother, John Norborg. Florence was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to John Albrecht Elias Norborg and Alma Wilhelmina Jonasson. While attending the University of Utah, she worked as a radio personality at KDYL, where she played the character Linda Hale in "Women in the News" and was a voice on "Helps for Young Housewives." She joined Play Box, Salt Lake City's intimate theatre, created by Robert Freed and Robert Hyde Wilson, where she acted in several plays and participated in all aspects of theater work. As a young woman she moved to New York City, where she launched a successful career as a radio and television writer. While in New York, she met and married Samuel Ellis Levine, a writer and producer of radio and television shows. They were married at Collegiate Presbyterian Church, and their son, Alan, was born a few years later. They enjoyed many happy years at their New York estate, Wild Acres, a home Flossie would always remember and cherish. After Sam's death, Florence returned to Salt Lake City, where she worked for KUTV and was a free-lance writer for several radio and television shows. She also edited the University of Utah Alumni News for several years. Florence married William (Bill) David Bowes in 1958, and their happy marriage lasted until his death in 1976. After Bill's death, Florence returned to writing, successfully publishing many short stories and five novels for Doubleday and other publishers. She was listed in Marquis Who's Who of American Women and Who's Who in the West. She continued to write, was active in writer's groups, and mentored many younger authors. She was working on another novel at the time of her death. Florence loved to travel, visiting Europe, the Middle East, and many other locales. Forever young, she enjoyed the company of a wide circle of friends of all ages and loved nothing better than a party, a get-together, or a friendly chat. A few years before her death, Florence joined First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City, where she made many new friends and was especially active in the book club. The church was a great source of friendship and comfort to her. A "Celebration of Life" in memory of Florence will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 12 C Street, Salt Lake City, on Tuesday, May 22 at 4 p.m.