Harold J. "Jack" Bouwens

Harold J. Bouwens, member of Post 286, passed away at home on Dec. 1, 2019, with his wife and son at his side after a five-year battle with lymphoma and then leukemia.

Usually the tallest man in any room, Jack was a natural-born leader with a dry and sarcastic sense of humor. He believed that if you were going to do something, you'd better'd do it right, and "doing it right" usually meant doing it Jack's way. Jack's many friends can tell you that if Jack was busting on you, that meant he liked you. Jack was a man of many nicknames, including Stretch, Tall One, Speed Bump, Smoking Jack, Charley Jack, Jackster, Grumpy Jack, Meanness, Extra-Special Tall Friend and Captain Jack.

Jack was born on June 11, 1950, in Newark, N.Y., to Harold Jacob Bouwens and Joan (Timmerman) Bouwens. The only son and the middle child in his family, Jack was an avid hunter and fisherman since his earliest days. Jack played baseball and basket ball throughout his school years. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1970, Jack served in nuclear weapons security in Germany, achieving the rank of Spec 4 before his honorable discharge in 1972. Jack married twice before the third time was the charm, and he married Debbie Johnson in 1992. They spent much of their married life in Palmyra and Phoenix, N.Y. Jack worked for Mobil Chemical Company for 26 years, leaving in 1994. He was an engineering specialist in research and development in the films division. Later, Jack had a consulting business and before retiring, he got his commercial driver's license and spent three years ferrying loads of beer from the Anheuser Busch brewery. Jack spent many happy days boating on the waters of Great Sodus Bay and Lake Ontario. In 2010 Jack announced that he was done paying New York state taxes, so by 2011 the couple were ensconced in a pool home on a golf course in Florida. Jack was a guy who could always get things done, and you rarely saw him without a Marlboro, an ice-cold Pepsi, or a Coors Light can (but those mountains had better'd be blue!) Through the years, Jack had many interests including hunting, motorcycles, Corvettes, snowmobiling, camping, boating, fishing, and ultimately golfing. He enjoyed watching NASCAR races and the New York Yankees. Jack's unique way of laughing with you or at you, his sparkling blue eyes, and that crazy grin when he got you, will be sorely missed. He was a member of Post 286 in Newark, N.Y.

Jack is survived by his wife of 27 years, Debbie Bouwens of Lehigh Acres, Fla., his son James Bouwens of Douglasville, Ga., his granddaughter Abby Bouwens of Port Orange, Fla., and his sisters Beverly Swart, Marilyn Mathous-Adams, Dianne Baker and Deborah Harrison, all of New York State, as well as myriad cousins, nieces and nephews and wonderful friends up and down the eastern seaboard.

A celebration of Jack's life was held in January 2020 at the New Westminster Golf Club in Lehigh Acres, and in June 2020 an event is planned for Sodus Point, N.Y.

Donations would be gratefully accepted in Jack's memory to Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation, www.fcfs.org/ways-to-help/donate, 5985 Silver Falls Run, Suite 210, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34211 or
Hope Hospice, www.hopehcs.org/donate, Development Office, Hope Hospice,9470 HealthPark Circle,Fort Myers, FL 33908

See the obituary : https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/fort-myers-fl/harold-bouwens-...