Second Lt. Raleigh Chase Bowlby Jr. was born May 3, 1918. The Marion native attended the University of Kansas after high school where he studied business. He was one semester away from his degree when he enlisted in the Army.

He was inducted into the Army on Feb. 22, 1941 at Fort Joseph T. Robinson in Arkansas at the age of 22. He became a member of the 137th Infantry of the 35th Division.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 35th Division was sent to California and became a unit of the West Coast Defense Command.

In July 1942, Bowlby attended officer candidate school for the infantry in Georgia and was sent to the 88th Division, which was credited with defeating the Hitler line at Fondi, Italy. The division was first stationed in North Africa and was relocated to the Italian front.

Bowlby died in action on April 8, 1944 in Cassino, Italy. He was survived by his wife, Mary Jane Cunningham, and his parents, Raleigh Chase and Marie Wight Bowlby. He married Cunningham in 1943. They were high school sweethearts.

Even though Cunningham and Bowlby did not have children, Bowlby’s memory was kept alive. Cunningham passed her wedding ring from Bowlby to her daughter, Kathy Booth, and to her granddaughter Marsha Parr.

Source: Kathy Booth