physical hardships, his faith and positivity remained steadfast. “I’ve never cared for the term, ‘lost his battle to cancer,’” says Sally. “Lynn never lost. He won every morning when he got up out of bed, knowing the day was full of needles and medicine and pain, and made the choice to go on. He won each time he smiled and thanked the selfless doctors who helped him along the way. He won each time he met the needs of his insurance clients as I drove him to his medical appointments. He won when he watched our children graduate college, when he walked his daughter down the aisle, and when he met his first grandson.” Continues Sally, “In the end, though his body ultimately failed, his mind and spirit were as strong as ever. Being a man of solid faith, it was fitting that Lynn went to Heaven on a Sunday morning, with his family sur- rounding him in love and prayer.” Today, the Bowman family’s sixth generation farm in Oneida, Illinois is being successfully main- tained by Lynn and Sally’s son Andrew, and his wife Karlie, and their daughter, Elizabeth, along with her husband Matthew. Sally continues to run the grain truck in honor of the life she and Lynn built those many years ago. “It’s bittersweet to watch as our kids continue to grow the farm,” she says. "I am so proud of them and all they do, but I find myself constantly wishing Lynn was here to experience it with me.” Harvest was always the Bow- mans' favorite time of year. Sally says she is grateful each fall when it comes around again and she is still strong and healthy enough to help. "Superman" Lynn and Sally Bowman are joined by their son, Andrew, and his wife, Karlie; their daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband Matthew. “I’m grateful for my children and their spouses and two little grandsons who represent the future,” she says. “I'm grateful I had the opportunity to meet the mother of the young man whose organ gave Lynn several more years of life. “And most of all, I’m grateful for 32 years spent with my blue-eyed, chambray shirt farmer, who cap- tured my heart across the scales.” Lynn and Sally Bowman on their family’s sixth generation farm in Oneida, Illinois A PUBLICATION OF THE ILLINOIS SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION September 2021 11
