RaMai "Maizie" Bowers

RUPERT – In the early afternoon of May 21, 2016, Rachel RaMai Flegel Bowers “Maizie”, 86 of Rupert, died suddenly of a cardio-respiratory arrest, and headed for a place with an unlimited palette of colors and all the time she wants to paint.

Maizie was born on December 28, 1929, to Irvin Edwin and Rachel Wittmayer Flegel, in Jamestown, North Dakota. Her paternal grandparents immigrated to the Dakota territories, to homestead and farm. Maizie was especially close to her grandmother, Louisa Kraft Flegel, who spoiled her unapologetically and taught her to LOVE eating chocolate-covered cherries.

Maizie moved from Kulm, North Dakota, to Idaho with her family when she was six; the family was headed to California during the drought but her dad fell in love with Hailey, Idaho. They stayed, while her aunt and uncle’s family continued to Lodi, California. She started attending school in Hailey before the family moved again to Burley, where she lived most of her life.

Maizie attended both Miller and Southwest elementary schools. She met Clyde A. “Tobe” Bowers at Burley High School in 1945. Mutual friends attempted to arrange a blind date, which somehow never happened, so instead, they went on their first date with two other couples to the movies. They were married on November 24, 1946, at the home of Elias and Hannah Bowers in Starrh’s Ferry. Maizie sewed her own wedding gown. Together they raised five children in Burley: Kerry (Roy) MacArt, Sandy, UT; Pat (Ken) Albertson, Huntsville, UT; Jim (Lynette) Bowers, Rupert, ID; Susan (Chuck) Ledford, Boise, ID; and Rob (Lynn) Bowers, Boise, ID. She also embraced the role of host-mother to a Norwegian exchange student from Oslo, Marie Ødegaard Nordheim (Gere), from 1975 to 1976. Marie became one of the family along with her own children, Tom and Elin; her twin sister Inger and her brother Kristian, all known affectionately and collectively as the “crazy Norwegians”.

Maizie found much of school boring; she liked dancing, reading and drawing. In high school, she loved working as an usherette at the Burley Theater. She also worked a short time in a local grocery store, but devoted her time to family and home after marriage. Her housekeeping was immaculate and her cooking incredible. Maizie loved recipes from her family’s German heritage.

Maizie was at home in the outdoors, having been taught hunting and fishing by her father, and a love of hiking by her mother. Her favorite times were fishing with the family and eating the fresh-caught fried trout for breakfast.

She was a gifted artist and cartoonist; she immersed herself in watercolors and ink-line cartoons. Maizie had a quick wit and could find humor in daily events. She sold her cartoons, paintings and prints; she entered her paintings in local shows, and won awards. Her paintings were included in the Idaho Watercolor Society’s rotunda shows in 2002, 2004 and 2006. She was a member of the local art guild and the Idaho Watercolor Society. Many of her paintings hang in the houses of family and friends.

Maizie valued her affiliations with the women of the Cheerful Doers group, and her PEO sisters. She had many happy memories of lunches and meetings. She also enjoyed serving in various capacities at St. James Episcopal Church in Burley. She sang in the choir, served as a lay reader, and a member of the vestry.

She doted on her grandchildren, half-sisters, brother and half-brother, as well as nieces, nephews and their children. She appreciated updated pictures and sharing memorable events. In 2015, the Bowers family first cousins held a reunion in Burley, and she was delighted to see everyone who attended and caught up on their busy lives.

Maizie loved chocolates; being ‘silly’ with the grandkids; Seaside, Oregon; watercoloring Christmas cards; her cats; Lake Powell; shopping; laughing; California; eating out; good books; chocolate pie; Alaska; Boston terriers; flowers; shoes; Elizabeth Arden’s “Red Door”; skiing; the Caribbean; black coffee; good wine; Trail Creek; Wood River; Bronco football; her house and patio; Facebook; rides in George Toner’s plane; matching accessories; the City of Rocks; ice cream; crossword puzzles; her own car, and her beloved family. She was less fond of dirty floors, wrinkled clothes, cell phones, memory loss, paintings that didn’t “work”, her unusual name, dust, arthritis, fools and the loss of her independence.

In recent years, Maizie experienced health concerns, and broke her hip in 2014. She moved from Burley to Autumn Haven in Rupert, where she was living at the time of her death. She had excellent, kind care. The family is very grateful to Delia and the staff of Autumn Haven, as well as the many residents, for their love and attention.

Maizie was preceded in death by her parents, Irvin Flegel and Rachel Olsen; step-mother, Adelia “Delie” O’Dare; husband, Tobe Bowers; step-brothers, Patrick D. Moore (Marlene) and Robert A. Moore; and grandsons, Brandon Priest and Matthew Bowers.

She is survived by her children; her brother, I. Raphael “Buzz” (Laura) Flegel, Ogden, UT; her half-brother, Fred Flegel (Nancy), Loon Lake, WA; half-sister, Becky (Jim) Hansen, Rocklin, CA; half-sister, Mary (Dave Jones) Flegel, Twin Falls, ID; step-brother, Frank D. Moore, Powers, OR; grandchildren Jan Albertson, Leslie (Kolby) Jakeman, Cindy (Robb) Baron, Cory Priest, Kerri C. Dunn, and A. J. Work; ten great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Wed., June 1, at the St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church , 902 6th St., in Rupert. The Rt. Rev. Janet King will officiate. Burial will follow at the Pleasant View Cemetery in Burley.

Friends may call from 6 until 8 p.m., Tues., May 31, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley.

The family suggests memorial contributions be made to either St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church or Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Salt Lake City, UT, which can be directed to Rasmussen Funeral Home in Burley.

Our mom worked hard her entire life, and taught us the value of doing our best. She was funny, creative, beautiful, caring and demanding of herself and others. Her influence is in every one of us, every day. We cannot imagine being unable to visit or call; we will miss her every day. Now it’s time for your well-deserved rest, Mom.