Cheryl Bowman Eakin

Cheryl Bowman Eakin, 57, of Abilene, Texas, died Monday, September 17, 2007 at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene. A memorial service will be held Friday, 2:00 p.m., at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road , with Reverend Bill Libby officiating. Cheryl was born May 4, 1950 in Garden City, Kansas, to Margaret J. Bowman and the late Ralph L. Bowman. She grew up in Wichita and graduated from Southeast High School in 1968, where she was the editor of her high school newspaper, The Stampede. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 1972 with a B.A. in journalism, where she was a feature writer for The Daily Kansan. In 1973, she married Daryl Eakin, a fellow graduate of the University of Kansas, and they moved to Galveston, Texas, where Daryl attended medical school and Cheryl worked in office management. She gave birth to her first son, Don, in 1976, and became a stay-at-home mom. Her second son, Brad, was born two years later, in 1978. Upon Daryl's graduation from the University of Texas Medical School, Cheryl and Daryl and their two sons moved to Austin, Texas, where Daryl began his medical practice. Her third son, Jeffrey, was born in 1984, followed by her last son, Scott, in 1987. She spent her adult life devoted to her four sons, her husband, her parents, and her uncle, who all lived in Austin. She was preceded in death by her father, Ralph L. Bowman. Survivors include her husband of 34 years, Daryl, of Abilene; sons, Don and Brad, of Kyle, Texas, Jeffrey and Scott, of Abilene; mother, Margaret J. Bowman, of Abilene; sister and brother-in-law, Linda Bowman and Jim McConnell, of Medford, Oregon; uncle, Charles E. Bowman, of Abilene; uncle, Lewis "Gene" Bowman of Tehachapi, California; devoted friend, Lorena Gonzalez, of Austin; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. Arrangements by Hamil Family Funeral Home of Abilene. Donations may be sent to Cancer Services Network, 240 Cypress Street, Abilene, Texas 79601 or at cancerservicesnetwork.org.