COLUMBIA – Louis Blanding Fowler, 93, loving husband of 69 years to Inez Glenn McLaurin Fowler (Glennie), entered into his eternal rest Wednesday morning, November 22, 2017 at the Palmetto Health Baptist Hospital in Columbia, SC. Funeral services will be held at 12:00 p.m., Wednesday afternoon, November 29, 2017 in the chapel at the Dunbar Funeral Home at 3926 Devine Street with his best friend, Rick Rickenbaker, officiating. Burial will follow the service in Greenlawn Memorial Park.
As the youngest of four children, born to the late Dora Dick and James Wiley Fowler of Fountain Inn, SC, on August 16, 1924, Lou was raised a faithful Christian. His parents embedded in him a fierce love for God and his country. Upon the loss of both his parents and graduation from high school, in the fall of 1942 at the age of 18, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corp to fight for his country in World War II. Lou, who was assigned to the 15th Air Force based in Italy, was the right waist gunner on a B-24 Liberator bomber. It was in the spring of 1944, during their 14th combat mission over Austria that he was taken as prisoner of war after being thrown from the belly of the heavily damaged, shot down B-24. After a grueling and arduous thirteen months as a POW, in April of 1945 he bravely escaped and safely returned to the American lines of the 104th “Timber Wolf” Infantry division. His courage and strength earned him two purple hearts to place amongst a chest full of medals. His legacy will live on through the many stories of his experiences that he so avidly and openly shared with the many interested admirers of his valor. In his words, Lou realized that “In ones’ life there is ones’ purpose. My encounter as Prisoner of War was part of my life’s plan to fulfill my God’s will.”
Upon his return home in 1945, he met and married Glennie. Attending Presbyterian College on the GI Bill, he graduated in 1949. While starting a loving family of five, he became a successful sales representative with IBM and dedicated himself to work with the company for 40 years. Lou’s priorities were his Lord and Savior, his devoted wife, loving children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, church, community and his America. This patriot always stated that he lived his entire life for “my God, my family, my country.” He will be remembered for his tender and amicable spirit and will forever live on in history as a hero.
He is preceded in death by his brothers, James Wiley Fowler and Edward Dick Fowler, and sister, Gertrude Fowler Wham. Those left to cherish his great memory are his wife, Inez Glennie McLaurin and three children, Louis Blanding Fowler, Jr, Edith Fowler Eason (Wayne), and Glennie Fowler Ahern, as well as 7 grandchildren, Nancy Landry (Brooks), Blanding Fowler (Melissa), Carrie Rountree (Andy), Laurin McDermott (Stephen), Blair Young (Donnie), Della Sprinkle (Keith), Daniel Ahern, and 11 great-grandchildren.
Please sign the online guestbook at www.dunbar funerals.com.