Love, Laughter and Good Stories
- Gail Bowen
- Jun 27
- 2 min read
As many of you are already aware, Gail Bowen shuffled off this mortal coil (as she would have put it) on June 25. She was peaceful, loved and ready.
Her earthly life ended as many of us suspected it would: she finished her last Joanne Kilbourn novel, sent it off to her publisher and then called it a day. Despite her worsening health over the last few months, she never complained, never fell into self-pity and soldiered on as only she could.
She dearly loved writing and the opportunities and connections her novels provided, but her primary focus was her family.
She is eternally loved and missed by her husband of nearly 60 years, Ted; her kids Hildy, Max and Nathaniel; and their spouses Brett, Carrie and Willow. Her greatest pride was her grandchildren Kai, Madeleine, Lena, Chesney, Ben, Peyton, Lexi, Val, Daxx, Drake and Lynx. Despite her ever-busy working life, she always made time for them, hosting after-school cookies and holiday decorating parties, and welcoming later additions to the brood, including spouses and partners Britt, Masan and Mason, with an open heart and a hearth for all to gather.
Her departure has left a Gail-sized hole in our lives, one that we can only fill with love, laughter and good stories. She wanted all of you to know that she couldn’t have done what she did without your support over these many years, whether you bought or borrowed a book, purchased a theatre ticket or attended a reading. Thank you for being a part of her journey, along with all of us.
Mom, Mimi and Gail, thank you for everything. We miss you and your story will continue well past your final chapter.
- The Bowen Family
I found out that Gail had died through Louise Penny's post on social media. Today, July 1, I walked around with Gail in my head, feeling incredibly thankful for her work. As a writer, she always made me think critically about what being a Canadian meant. She was so much in my head that I wrote my first blog post in years in memory of her. Thank you so much for sharing her with us all.