Phillip Bowler Sr. Credit: Courtesy Phillip M. Bowler Sr., 88, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Known by most as Phil, and by many as Mack, Malcolm or Senior, it’s impossible to account for the many people that knew him during his storied lifetime. Born in June 1938, in Amsterdam, N.Y., to Frederick and Claire Bowler, he soon became big brother to Shirley (Bowler) Blanchard and Barbara (Bowler) Furman. After graduating high school, Mack moved to Connecticut, where he met Jacqueline Chapman. They soon married and had their first child, Phillip M. Bowler Jr., in 1960. A year later, they relocated to Burlington, Vt., and then in 1964 welcomed their daughter, Dawn M. Bowler. While the marriage to Jackie didn’t last, Mack was committed to his family and made sure Jackie and the two kids were taken care of and had a home to grow up in. If you knew Mack, you knew of his appetite to learn everything about anything. Graduating from UVM with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, later in his life he would begin a quest toward a doctoral degree. In addition to his academic pursuits, he would take night classes on plumbing, electrical and even learning to speak basic Vietnamese. His love and support for UVM would follow him through life, supporting the men’s and women’s athletic teams, often catching their playoff games near and far. His love of college basketball was matched only by his enthusiasm for NASCAR races. His work life kept him busy, from General Electric to IBM, and he is remembered fondly by some for wearing his three-piece suit while riding on his Harley-Davidson to work, which was quite the scandal back in those days. He became a landlord in Burlington, operating 21 rental units for 27 years. The night classes helped to take care of the properties, and the language classes came in useful with his non-English-speaking tenants. When not working, which was extremely rare for Mack, he could be found anywhere and everywhere. This was the defining nature of his retirement years. He was extremely proud when he became part of the 251 Club, having visited all 251 cities or towns in Vermont. That wanderlust would eventually lead him to visiting every single county in all 50 states; cruising around the world many times over on container ships; multiple trips through both the Panama and Suez canals; and visiting, at last count, 80-plus countries. Simply “going through” any place wasn’t enough for him; he needed to be there for several days, on different repeat trips, and found every imaginable historical-related rabbit hole to go down. A rolling index on Civil War generals? He knew it. Immersing himself in all the battle sites? He’s been there. Hours and years spent deep-diving through town hall records or library and museum archives? He’s done it all. There was no museum, monument, historical house or art gallery that he wasn’t excited to visit — especially related to artists Salvador Dali, Georgia O’Keefe and the Wyeth art dynasty. He even did some painting while on Monhegan Island during summer vacations with his niece Elisa and her family. Mack was preceded in death by his father, Frederick Bowler, in 1959; mother, Claire Howorth, née Reisler, in 1998; son, Phillip Bowler Jr., in 2015; and daughter, Dawn Bowler, in 2024. He is survived by his sisters, Shirley (Steve) Blanchard and Barbara (Joe) Furman; nieces, Elisa Blanchard, Aimee Blanchard and Pamela Wittemeyer; ex-wife, Jackie Blanchard, née Chapman; grandchildren, Phillip (Travis) Bowler III, William Bowler, Kyle Normandin and Melissa Normandin; great-granddaughters, Aaliyah and Akara; and extended family members not listed. Two people he called every day later in life were his sister Barb and his friend Kathie Knight. From family to deep, lifelong friendships and the many people who he crossed paths with or kept up-to-date with his prolific travel emails, he has left an indelible mark on all our lives. He will be greatly missed. All are welcome at his Celebration of Life, which will be held on Sunday, September 13, 2026, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Elks Lodge on North Avenue in Burlington, Vt. In lieu of flowers, any donations may be made in his honor to the King Street Center, 87 King St., Burlington, VT. The post Obituary: Phillip M. Bowler Sr., 1938-2026 appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less