Suzanne Bowler

Suzanne Bowler was born Suzanne Rennard on October 3, 1958, in Long Beach, California. She passed away at home surrounded by her loving family in the early morning hours of Sunday, September 12, following a two-year battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband, Ben, and their two sons, Patrick and Andrew.

Suzie was raised in Venice and Pacific Palisades with her siblings Deborah and Robert, by her mother Mary Kay and stepfather, Bob Benjamin, with visits to Palm Springs to visit their father, Robert Rennard. Suzie attended Paul Revere Junior High and Pacific Palisades High School where she graduated in 1976. She was a competitive swimmer and outstanding student, excelling in languages and writing. She graduated UCLA in 1980 with a degree in communications.

Suzie met her husband, Ben, in Los Angeles in 1985. They were married in May 1990 in Santa Barbara. Their first child, Patrick, arrived in April of 1991. They relocated to the Bay Area in 1993, where their second son, Andrew, was born in 1994. The family settled in San Carlos in 1999 in the house on Birch Avenue in which they still reside.

Suzie loved nature and the outdoors. She spent a great deal of her life on hikes and nature walks—usually with her boys in tow. She was an animal lover and allowed them to keep a menagerie of pets, including mice, rats, snakes, lizards, scorpions, spiders, frogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, turkeys and a pig. Thanks to her guidance Andrew pursued a career in animal husbandry here on the California coast.

Sue loved to travel. She planned travel experiences all over the world for her family, trips to Zion and Yosemite; vacations in Hawaii, Alaska, and New York; weekend getaways to Lake Tahoe; ski trips to Mt. Bachelor; escapes to the Sierras and central Oregon; and jaunts to Ireland, Mexico, Costa Rica, and France.

Most of all, Suzanne was a devoted mother. There was nothing on earth she cared about more than her two sons. When they left the roost, she volunteered for a youth mentorship program providing counseling and support for children in difficult family situations.

Suzie was a woman of exceptional kindness, wisdom and forethought. Friends, work associates, fellow mothers and her own children came to her frequently for advice. She rarely missed the opportunity to reach out to loved ones in celebration of an accomplishment or observe a birthday or anniversary. She had no desire to be the center of attention, but when she spoke everyone listened and were rewarded with thoughtful remarks and supportive sentiments.

Suzie’s life was one of happiness and love. She was good in a world that needs more good people, and will be missed for it. We will remember her genuine smile, her vibrant laugh, her easy way with children, her cooking, her zest for lived experiences, her stillness in the face of overwhelming odds and her love, which does not fade.