Mr. James Bowman

THE death of Mr. James Bowman, formerly of Belfast and late of River House, Newcastle, has been widely mourned.

Jimmy was born in Sailortown in the Docks area of Belfast. His parents died when he was very young and he and his sister, Rosie, were reared by two elderly aunts. Owing to these circumstances, he was very protective towards his sister.

He enlisted in the Army and later the Navy before moving to cruise ships. All three careers would take him all over the world and many a tale he would tell about his exciting journeys, often reciting expressions in foreign languages.

He returned frequently to visit his aunts and sister. It was during one of these visits in the early 1960s that he met his future wife and soul mate, Veronica (Ronnie) Morgan, from Annacloy.

Jimmy kept in touch with Ronnie by letters and visits while still working on cruise ships and married her a few years later.

After the birth of their first son, Christopher, Jimmy gave up his sea travelling and worked in various occupations. For over 30 years he was a familiar face at the Law Courts in Belfast where he worked for the legal profession. Due to ill health he had to retire in 2010 at the age of 83.

After the death of his beloved wife in 2011, Jimmy lived at River House, Newcastle, in order to be near to family members.

Jimmy will always be remembered by his son, Chris, and large family circle as a jolly, kind, caring, generous and helpful person. He had a great sense of humour and brightened up many a dull day.