A former Red Deer Advocate managing editor and member of a well-respected Red Deer family has died in Calgary.
James Edward (Ted) Bower, 75, died late last week following a lengthy battle with cancer and a failing heart.
Bower was managing editor in the early 1970s before leaving Red Deer around 1977 to move to Calgary
An arts graduate of the University of Alberta Bower was one of six children born to Norm Bower. He married Dorothy Bickell in 1956 and the couple had four children. Ted is survived by his wife who lives in Calgary.
Ted was introduced to the Advocate by the late wife of Don Bower, Marjorie, who worked as a reporter for the newspaper.
Jim Bower of Red Deer, Ted’s cousin, said Monday no funeral arrangements have been made yet.
“The family is still dealing with plans,” Jim said.
Ted was the grandson of James and Catherine Bower who came west from Ontario in 1899 on a home seekers’ excursion.
The Bower family has been a strong thread in the Red Deer fabric for many years and operated businesses and farmed.
The Bower Subdivision, Bower Ponds and Bower Place Shopping Centre were named in honour of the family which owned much of the land they’re built on.
Sunnybrook Farm just off of Bremner Avenue is also the site of the former Bower homestead.
Jim Bower said Ted will be greatly missed by the family.
“Ted was quite an orator. He could really express himself well” through written and spoken word, Jim Bower said.
He said Ted had been in poor health the last few years.
“He was a little fellow like his dad Norm but if you knew Norm, he was as tough a guy as you could find. He farmed right up until the end,” said Jim.
Red Deer archivist Michael Dawe said Ted will be long remembered as having a firm grasp on Red Deer’s history.
One of Ted’s last public appearances in Red Deer was a couple of years ago when he helped dedicate a room in the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce building honouring Norm Bower who gave the land to the chamber.
