Jean Evelyn (Port) Bowen

Jean E. Bowen of Marietta passed away January 15, 2015 at the age of 74 from cancer.

Jean wanted most to be remembered as a strong Christian woman.  Her faith in the Lord gave her a passionate desire to help others.  In addition to the family she cherished, Jean dedicated her life to teaching and to her students.  She was a dynamic educator who helped make the power of reading, writing, and literature accessible to thousands of students at the middle school, high school and college level.  Jean focused on the interests of students and made learning fun through her sense of humor.  However, she also challenged her pupils to accept nothing less than the best work from themselves.  She showed students that skills they learned would improve their lives no matter what their background.  Jean often worked long hours into the evening grading papers and helping students after classes.  She could not wait to start new classes and work with new students, and her positive energy in the classroom was remarkable.  Jean taught “now is the best time to live” and, having gone back to college later in life herself that: “It is never too late to improve yourself with education.”  Her passion and effectiveness as an educator was recognized through numerous honors including several teacher of the year awards including the State Teacher of the Year 1992 from the Georgia Council of Teachers of English, and the Atlanta Journal/Constitution Honor Teacher Award 1993.  However, Jean shunned recognition believing that her accomplishments were measured through the lives of her students.  She continued teaching until the very end of her life. 

Jean’s grandparents were immigrants and she came from a family of little means.  However, she went back to school to earn a Bachelor’s of English degree at the age of 41 and later earned Master’s and Specialist in Education degrees from Georgia State University.  She taught in Henry and Clayton County schools and also served as the Assistant Principal for Riverdale High School.  For many years Jean was also the Instructor for Clayton County Staff Development where she mentored other teachers about teaching methods, cultural diversity, and writing.  She also published and gave numerous conference presentations to share new methods for impactful teaching.  She was a long time college professor at Georgia Military College and more recently at Chattahoochee Technical College where she was actively involved in local service learning projects.

Her favorite things to do in her free time included shopping with her beloved grandchildren, collecting apple crafts, and doing crossword puzzles.

Jean is survived by her husband Ed Bowen, her daughter Becky Bowen, her son Michael Scott Bowen, daughter-in-law Jackye Bowen, and granddaughters Ansley and Ashlyn Bowen.  She will be greatly missed by her family, friends, fellow teachers, and by the many she inspired to learn. 

A celebration of Jean’s life will be held on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at 11:00 a.m.  in the Chapel at First Baptist Church of Atlanta, 4400 North Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30338.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to your local church.

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