Cleon Bowen

CLEON KENNETH BOWEN was born on September 20, 1962 to Kenneth and Ardyth (Hansen) Bowen in Luverne, Minnesota. The family moved to Canton, South Dakota for five years and then to Edgerton, Minnesota, where Cleon spent the rest of his childhood and graduated from Edgerton Public High School in 1981. Following school, he enlisted into the U.S. Air Force where he served in communication. Cleon received training at Lackland Air Force Base and later was stationed at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. He then served in the Strategic Air Command at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana until his honorable discharge on March 28, 1987. Cleon returned home to Edgerton and moved to nearby Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 1990, he began his career at Shopko on 41st Street in Sioux Falls. He worked his way up from a custodian, to supervisor and load boss over the years. He moved to Tea, South Dakota in 2016 and continued to work at Shopko until the store’s closing in May of 2019. On Sunday, July 28, 2019 Cleon died peacefully at his home at the age of 56 years, ten months and eight days.

Cleon was a gentle giant, dependable, quiet and thoughtful, willing to help. He was interested in military history. He enjoyed playing video and war games, especially dungeons and dragons with friends throughout the years. He was a comic book collector and enjoyed following the Minnesota Vikings and Twins.

Cleon is lovingly remembered by his parents, Ken and Ardyth Bowen of Edgerton; brother, Brad (Judy) Bowen of Pipestone, Minnesota; nieces, Heather (Brad) Hiniker of Pipestone and Holly (Dan) Vos of Hendricks, Minnesota; aunts and uncles, Sandra Jederberg of Sheldon, Iowa, Judy Berkhof of Mitchell, South Dakota, Joyce Hawes of Sibley, Iowa, Dianna (Larry) Brandenburg of Lake Crystal, Minnesota, Clifford (Gloria) Hansen of Lake Benton, Minnesota, Vivian (Sydney) Aarestad of Apple Valley, Minnesota, Raymond (Elaine) Hansen of Luverne and Gloria Boelman of Luverne; and other family. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Clinton and Matilda Bowen and Carl and Olga Hansen; uncles, Larry Boelman, Bob Berkhof, Milton Hawes and Ed Jederberg; and his cousin, Troy Boelman.