Ricky Lee Bowen

September 8, 1955 – August 30, 2026 Ricky Lee Bowen went home to be with the Lord on August 30, 2026, just days before his 71st birthday. He leaves behind a family who loved him deeply, is incredibly proud of the fight he fought, and will spend the rest of our lives carrying forward the legacy he gave us. Ricky was born on September 8, 1955, to J.C. and Betty Bowen. He was blessed to spend 45 years married to his wife, Debbie Bowen. Together, they built a life and a family filled with faith, love, laughter, and more memories than we could ever count. He was Dad to Maggie, Abby, and Cody. Maggie and her husband, Brian Brannon; Abby and her husband, Kevin Holbrook; and Cody and his wife, Rebekah Bowen, were blessed to call him theirs. But one of Ricky’s very favorite titles was Pop Pop. He was Pop Pop to seven grandchildren—Bradleigh, Braxton, Carson, Gus, Jake, Anna Catherine, and Miles—and he loved being part of their lives. If one of his grandkids was playing a sport, performing, or doing something they loved, Pop Pop wanted to be there cheering them on. They never had to wonder if he was proud of them. He made sure they knew. Sports were a big part of Ricky’s life long before he became Pop Pop. He spent countless hours coaching his own children and their friends in many different sports. For Ricky, coaching was about much more than wins and losses. It was another way he showed up for the people he loved, investing his time in kids, encouraging them, and creating memories that lasted far beyond the final whistle. Ricky was also the person everyone knew to call when something broke. A master fixer by nature, there wasn’t much he couldn’t figure out. Cars, equipment, things around the house—if it needed fixing, Dad was the one we called. He had a gift for understanding how things worked and the determination to get them working again. We will probably always have moments when something breaks and our first thought will be, “Call Dad. He’ll know what to do.” And then there was his lawn. Ricky loved his lawn, his tractor, and the satisfaction of a yard that looked just right. He loved Chevy Camaros, the beach, a good meal, and a table surrounded by people he loved. He enjoyed the simple things that make a life full, and he especially loved sharing those things with his family and friends. Most importantly, Ricky loved Jesus. He was a faithful member of Ivy Creek Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon. He dearly loved his church family and considered it a privilege to serve alongside them. His faith was not something reserved for Sundays. It shaped the way he lived, the way he served, the way he loved people, and ultimately, the way he faced some of the hardest days of his life. Ricky was lovingly known as “Superman” by his family and friends, and anyone who witnessed the way he fought understood why. He faced battle after battle with extraordinary strength, courage, determination, and faith. When the road became difficult, he kept going. When another fight came, he faced it head-on. And goodness, did he fight fiercely. He was our Superman. We are so incredibly proud of him—not simply because of how hard he fought, but because of the way he lived while he was fighting. He loved his family fiercely. He showed up. He coached. He fixed things. He served. He laughed. He made memories. He loved people. And through it all, he trusted the Lord. Our hearts are broken because we wanted more time. More meals around the table. More trips to the beach. More ballgames with Pop Pop in the stands. More afternoons spent working in the yard. More phone calls asking Dad how to fix something. More stories. More laughter. More ordinary days together. But we also know where Ricky is. We know that when he took his final breath here, he took his first breath in the presence of Jesus. And we can only imagine the moment he was welcomed home by his Savior with the words: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” What a homecoming that must have been. Ricky is survived by his beloved wife, Debbie; his children, Maggie and Brian Brannon, Abby and Kevin Holbrook, and Cody and Rebekah Bowen; his seven grandchildren, Bradleigh, Braxton, Carson, Gus, Jake, Anna Catherine, and Miles; and a host of family members, church family, and friends who loved him dearly. There is an empty place in our family that can never be filled in quite the same way. But there is also an incredible legacy left behind—a legacy of faith, family, perseverance, service, hard work, and love. That legacy lives on in his children. It lives on in his grandchildren. It lives on in the kids he coached, the people he served, the things he taught us, and every person who was blessed to know and love Ricky. He loved well. He fought fiercely. He finished faithfully. And we will love and miss our Dad, Pop Pop, and Superman until the day we see him again. The family will gather to celebrate Ricky’s life on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at Ivy Creek Baptist Church, the church he loved and faithfully served. Ivy Creek Baptist Church 2500 Ivy Creek Road NE Buford, GA 30519 The family will receive friends and loved ones from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. and again from 1:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. A funeral service celebrating Ricky’s life and faith will begin at 3:00 p.m., with burial immediately following. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider honoring Ricky’s life with a donation to one of two places that hold a special place in our hearts: the Winship Multiple Myeloma Fund at Emory University or Ivy Creek Baptist Church. The doctors, nurses, researchers, and entire team at Winship gave our family an extraordinary gift—14 additional years with Ricky. Fourteen years of birthdays, holidays, ballgames, meals around the table, trips to the beach, laughter, memories, and ordinary days that became an immeasurable gift to our family. We will forever be grateful for the care Ricky received and for the work Winship continues to do to research multiple myeloma and develop new treatment options. It is our hope that supporting this work will help give other patients and families the same precious gift we were given: more time. Donations may be made to the Winship Multiple Myeloma Fund at Emory University in Memory of Ricky Bowen. Donations may also be made in Ricky’s memory to his beloved Ivy Creek Baptist Church, where he worshiped, served as a deacon, loved his church family, and faithfully served the Lord. To donate to Ivy Creek, follow this link: https://onrealm.org/icbcga/-/go?page=donor-form

Ricky Lee Bowen

September 8, 1955 - August 30, 2026