Louis Earl Bowab, 72, a native of Atmore, Ala., and a longtime resident of Hoover, Ala., unexpectedly passed away on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, at his home in Hoover. He was the eldest child of Betty (Manning) Bowab and George Edward "Bubba" Bowab. Spending his formative years in Atmore, he grew up in the Catholic Church, serving as an altar boy at St Robert Bellarmine. In high school he focused his exuberance for life - and the Blue Devils - playing drums with great abandon as a member of the ECHS Marching Band. The Class of 1966 will fondly remember Mr. Bowab as one of Atmore's dwindling number of prolific water tower artists.

Mr. Bowab attended the University of South Alabama in Mobile, where he was well-known for his dry sense of humor and self-effacing wit.

In 1970 Mr Bowab enlisted in the United States Air Force. After basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas, Airman Bowab was sent to Vandenberg AFB, Calif., before serving two tours in Thailand. During his first tour he enjoyed teaching English two to three times per week to local Thai students. His second tour to Thailand in 1972 included clerical support to the Wing Commander during Operation Linebacker II, America's big push to end the war with North Vietnam. He also had occasional temporary duty assignments to Vietnam. Sergeant Bowab was honorably discharged upon completing his volunteer enlistment in 1974.

In more recent times, Mr Bowab often regaled his friends both in Atmore and at the El Gringo Restaurant in Hoover with tales of his adventures as a part time entrepreneur in Southeast Asia.

Mr. Bowab retired in 2015 after 42 years, first with Bell South and later AT&T. His career in the Birmingham-Hoover (Ala) Metropolitan area spanned from being a lineman to management and engineer.

In a unique 2015 Facebook post to a friend, Mr. Bowab described a trip he had made to Heaven, where he was surprised to learn that everyone has a job. He had been given a large rag and a bucket of Clorox, which was appropriate for his new job, which  was to be a cloud cleaner. He advised his friend not to miss him too much. If he got lonely, he should just search the sky for the whitest, cleanest cloud. His friend would know that Louis was up there, just behind the edges of cloud fluff, waving down at him and hollering "Heeey!"

Mr. Bowab was preceded in death by his parents; his nephew, Joseph (Joe) Bowab; his cousin, Julie Anderson; and his canine nephew "Bear" Bowab.

Mr. Bowab is survived by his only sibling, Eddie (Cherie) Bowab, two special nieces, Mary Bowab and Sarah Bowab (Matt) Wagner, and two great nieces, Amber and Jolina, all of Huntsville, Ala.

He is also survived by his cousins (and their families): Mary Helen Bowab Graham of Atmore; Alex Bowab of Fairhope, Ala.; Christine Bowab Dill of Flowood, Miss., a suburb of Jackson; A.J. Bowab of Mobile, Ala., Carl Anderson of Atmore; Lynn Anderson Jetton of Holly Pond, Ala.; Janet Anderson of Jackson, Miss.; Tommy Elzen of Jackson, Miss.; plus lifelong family friends: Susan Albert Moorhead, Toni Albert McMurphy, both of Atmore, and Rita Albert Peterson of Murfreesboro, Tenn. A host of friends from the Garden District of New Orleans, La. to Orange Beach, Atmore, and the Hoover-Birmingham, Ala. area, will cherish their memories of Mr. Bowab even as they mourn his loss.

On Friday, October 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. there will be a private family visitation at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home in Atmore. The family will receive friends from 9 a.m to 10 a.m. At 10:30 a.m.,there will be a graveside service at Oak Hill Cemetery in Atmore. Father Gordon Milsted of Atmore will officiate.

Pallbearers will be Carl Anderson, A.J. Bowab, Alex Bowab, Fritz Currie, and Doug Rogers. Members of the ECHS Class of 1966 will be honorary pall bearers.

Mr. Bowab's headstone, which he designed and had installed at Oak Hill several years ago, will stand as a perpetual legacy to his fulsome appreciation of the absurd.

Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.