Laddie Frank Bowman

Laddie Frank Bowman, known to family and friends as Frank, was a retired United States Air Force colonel who spent 27 years in uniform before building a second life rooted in his church and his family in the Denver area. He was born on March 4, 1937, in Centerburg, Ohio, the son of Leon and Virginia Bowman, and he died on October 9, 2026, in Broomfield, Colorado, at the age of 89.

Frank served in the United States Air Force from 1963 to 1990, rising to the rank of colonel. His final posting was as Director of Headquarters Air Force Space at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, work that placed him at the center of the Air Force's growing space mission during the 1980s. Along the way he kept adding to his professional education, graduating from Squadron Officer School in 1967 and Air Command and Staff College in 1975, both at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, then completing the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1976 and the Air War College in 1978. His obituary states that his service was recognized with numerous honors and decorations, though the specific citations have not been published.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1990, Frank settled into civilian life in Colorado, where he became a devoted member of Black Forest Community Church near Colorado Springs. Those who knew him in his later years describe a man whose identity was built on faith, family and quiet service rather than public recognition. He was not a public figure in the conventional sense, and no Wikipedia page or broad national coverage exists for him; what is known about his life comes from the obituary published by his family through the Denver Gazette and Legacy.com.

Frank's family was the center of his life. He was married to Deanna Bowman, and the couple raised two sons, Bradley Scott Bowman and Brent Gilbert Bowman. He was also a grandfather to three grandchildren and a great grandfather to three great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his sister, Rachael Hess, his brother, Tom Bowman, and his parents, and he is survived by a sister, Debbie Jones, and a brother, Joe Bowman.

Frank died on October 9, 2026, in Broomfield, Colorado. His family has not made public a specific cause of death, though the published obituary thanks the nurses at Ovation Hospice for the compassionate care they gave him in his final days, which indicates he was under hospice care before he died. News of his death was shared through an obituary his family placed with the Denver Gazette and Legacy.com in late October 2026, and tributes have focused on his military service, his steady faith, and his devotion to his family.

A memorial service celebrating Frank's life is scheduled for November 16, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Black Forest Community Church in Colorado Springs, and he is due to be buried at Pikes Peak National Cemetery. Those who shared memories of him in the days after his death remembered him, in the words of his family, for his honorable service, steadfast faith, generosity and devotion to his family.