John Bowen, III

John Guy Bowen III, an attorney and irreplaceable human, died on July 21, 2018 at the age of 30. His main squeeze, Roxanne Concepcion, and fur baby, Wrex, will carry on his legacy.

John is survived by his parents, Keith (Jeri) Bowen and Tamra (Wilbur) Edds; his grandparents Helen Powell, Robert and Rhea Sidwell; his brothers Hyrum Bowen, Casey (Brooke) McConkey, Calan (Sarah) McConkey; his sisters Jeannette (Julian) Furrow, Carolyn (Michael) Nordquist, and Taylor Jennings. "Uncle" John dearly loved his nieces and nephews -- Bruce, Jack, J.J., Max, Gus, Nicholas, Eric, Bowen, Coraline, Whittier and AnnaLee. The void that John left these children cannot adequately be expressed with words.

John was born in Kansas City, Missouri on October 15, 1987. John graduated from Excelsior Springs High School in 2006 and then took his talents to Missouri State University. After graduating college in 2010, John decided to further his education (and student loan debt) by pursuing his Juris Doctorate at the University of Illinois School of Law. While some in the legal community still have their doubts, John did in fact graduate law school and passed the bar in 2013. John and his brother, Calan, started their own law practice - McConkey & Bowen LLC- shortly thereafter.

Being a man of many talents, John received numerous awards and recognitions during his short time on this earth. These distinctions include, but are not limited to: being a Big Brother for BBBS KC, training himself how to ride a unicycle, working to become a below-average didgeridoo player, dominating opponents in racquetball/foosball/Ultimate Frisbee, playing video games with disregard for time and real world obligations, singing karaoke without considering pitch or tempo, and being voted the best "twerker" at the 2017 Philippines competition. Most importantly, John was recently recognized as the one person that his friends and family cannot imagine living without.

Services for John will be held on Friday, July 27, 2018 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Kearney, Missouri. Visitation will be from 12:00-2:00 pm, with the funeral beginning at 2:30 pm. A Celebration of Life Party will be held on Sunday, July 29, 2018 from 3:00-6:00 pm at The Montgomery Event Venue in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the John Bowen Memorial Fund. Donations can also be made in John's name to Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City or the Humane Society of Kansas City. The family intends to establish a scholarship in John's name that will support local high school students that have aspirations of attending law school.

John may be gone but his spirit and happiness will live on through the countless people he impacted. With an extraordinary smile and personality that made strangers turn to instant friends, he cannot be forgotten. John epitomized the phrase: "Life is too short to be small."