On the afternoon of Aug. 3, 2024, Mark E. Bowers, 65, passed away surrounded by his loved ones at WVU/Grant Memorial Hospital in Petersburg.
He was born on Sept. 1, 1958, in Harrisonburg, Virginia, a son of the late Carl M. Bowers and Beverly Alt Bowers and was raised in Petersburg.
Mr. Bowers was a 1976 graduate of Petersburg High School, where he was an accomplished athlete, continuing to hold several records for track and field. He was a 1980 graduate of Fairmont State College, where he ran track and majored in engineering technology with a minor in printing.
He worked for 41 years at R. R. Donnelly as a press technician, but his true passion was maple syrup production.
He was known to friends far and wide as “Mr. Maple.” He could be found promoting the value of West Virginia-produced maple syrup. With quick wit and a “cheery disposition,” he was a natural speaker and never met a stranger he didn’t like. An avid outdoorsman, he produced maple syrup by hand at his maple camps located in and around Petersburg for 26 years.
In 2013, he founded the West Virginia Maple Producers Association, which popularized maple syrup as a West Virginia signature product and which is currently exceeding $5 million in statewide annual sales and continuing to grow due to his efforts. On July 21, he was inducted into the West Virginia Agriculture and Forestry Hall of Fame for his role in turning maple syrup into a significant agriculture product in the state.
On July 31, he bottled his last bottle of maple syrup. He was battling an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer ever since receiving a diagnosis on Nov. 24, 2023.
He became interested in genealogy and has done extensive research. He combined his love of genealogy and photography to display copies of family photos from the Smoke Hole area at the Alt and Kimble Reunion. He also helped to co-author a family history book about the Alt/Kimble family.
He will be greatly missed by many, including numerous family members and friends in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Petersburg.
He was married for 43 years to his high school sweetheart, Deborah Prunty, with whom he had two sons, Thomas and John. His wife survives.
Also surviving are a son, John Prunty Bowers; a daughter-in-law, Lauren; grandchildren, Eva and Bryan; a sister, Terri Byers; a brother-in-law, Frank Byers; a niece, Amy Varney; and a nephew Robbie Davis.
He was also preceded in death by a son, Thomas Bowers.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 8 p.m. today at the Schaeffer Funeral Home in Petersburg. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday in the chapel of the funeral home with Pastor Cheryl George officiating. Interment will follow at the Cherry Hill Cemetery in Upper Tract.
The family suggests that memorial donations be made to the West Virginia Maple Producers Association c/o Cathy Hervey, 100 Fernwood Drive, Wellsburg, WV 26070 or Petersburg High School Athletics.
