Gordon W. Gowen's Obituary
Gordon W. Gowen, 64, of St. Petersburg, died Oct. 6, 20007 at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa. He was born Feb. 7, 1943, in Toledo, Ohio, son of Otto M. and Margaret I. Gowen. He was a graduate of St. Petersburg High School and the University of Florida (1965). For the past 16 years Gordon was employed as a service representative for Laboratory Corporation of America in Tampa, Florida. He served his country as a Peace Corps Volunteer in southern Thailand and as a civilian officer for the Agency for International Development in Vietnam during the war. He considered his proudest contribution to be his three years of active military service. Following his college graduation, he spent a year at Ft. Campbell, KY as a 2nd Lt. in the 101st Airborne Division. In 1967, he served in Vietnam as a 1st Lt. with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He volunteered for a second overseas tour and spent 1968 as a Captain with the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam. Following his military and Peace Corps service, he lived in Paris for several years where he continued his study of the French language, begun at the US State Department Language School. He also spoke Vietnamese and Thai. He was a life long fan of sports, especially the athletic teams of the University of Florida. He is survived by his brother, Orrin Gowen, of St. Petersburg and three nieces, Kimberly Taverrite, Laura Gowen and Rebecca Gowen
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