William Darsie Bowden

died on Sunday, November 11, 2007. He died at home of natural causes, surrounded by his family. He was born on August 11, 1920 in Palo Alto, California, the son of Edmund R. Bowden and Elisabeth Darsie Bowden. In 1922, he moved with his family to Seattle. He graduated from Garfield High School and Stanford University where he was a member of Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity and Phi Beta Kappa in the class of 1942. He served in the army during World War II, rising from private to first lieutenant. After the war, he entered the retail business. He worked for two years at Frederick & Nelson, and then became associated with William L. Davis Sons Company, a furniture, interior design, and antique store, where he eventually became vice president and co-owner. He retired in 1984 when the store closed and then worked for another ten years as an interior design consultant and antique furniture appraiser.During his years at William L. Davis, he became active in the American Society of Interior Designers, serving as president of the Washington State chapter, followed by a number of terms as a national director. In 1972, he was elected a Fellow of ASID. In 1980, he became a volunteer for the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research, an organization that accredits interior design programs in colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. He served on the executive committee of the Decorative Arts and Paintings Council at the Seattle Art Museum for many years.He was a member of the Seattle Tennis Club, the Washington Athletic Club, and the University Club of which he was president in 1993-4.He is survived by Anne, his wife of 58 years, three daughters, Darsie Bowden of Chicago, Raleigh Bowden and her husband Peter Morgan of Seattle, Elisabeth Bowden and her husband Stewart Taylor of Bainbridge Island and his five grandchildren, Laura and Dan Morgan, Bevan and Annie Taylor, and Elisabeth X. Bowden.A memorial service will be held at Grace Episcopal Church located 8595 NE Day Rd, Bainbridge Island, WA, on Friday, November 16, at 11:00 a.m. with a reception following. Memorials may be sent to the Seattle Art Museum, Grace Episcopal Church, Hospice of Kitsap County, or the Foundation for Interior Design Research in Grand Rapids, MI. Arrangements by Cook Family Funeral Home.