William Bowlin, Structural Engineer At Boeing, Helped Incorporate Seatac

William R. Bowlin was a man who loved the outdoors and is remembered by friends and family as the "father of SeaTac."

As a co-founder of the SeaTac incorporation movement, Mr. Bowlin was instrumental in getting the South End's largest city incorporated.

"If there is a father of the city, it's Bill Bowlin," said Joe Brennan, a longtime SeaTac resident. "He was just a good man to have in your community."

As a structural engineer at Boeing for 37 years, and as a member of Crystal Mountain's Ski Patrol and the Boy Scouts, Mr. Bowlin always was interested in being a part of the community.

Mr. Bowlin died Saturday after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 67.

Mr. Bowlin was born July 2, 1927, in Tacoma. Graduating from Lincoln High School in 1945, he went on to serve in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II.

After the war, he returned to the area to earn a degree in civil engineering from Washington State University in 1952.

He and his wife, Maxine, lived in SeaTac for 32 years.

"He was a Washingtonian through and through," Maxine Bowlin said. His efforts produced North SeaTac park, as well as the incorporation of the city in 1989, Mrs. Bowlin said. "He was very dedicated to making the area better."

Mr. Bowlin was an avid hiker and skier who enjoyed family trips outdoors. He climbed Mount Rainier, his wife said, and was one of the last hikers up Mount St. Helens before it erupted.

He also ran for a seat on the first SeaTac City Council and lost by a slim margin to a fellow Boeing employee, Shirley Thompson.

"Bill was always a gentleman." Thompson said. "We never had an adversarial relationship."

Though he lost the election, Mr. Bowlin remained active in community affairs.

"He was like a bulldog, when he got a hold of something he wouldn't let go," Mrs. Bowlin said.

Survivors also include his sons, David of Issaquah and Roger of Kirkland; daughters Janet Bowlin-Yokan of Augusta, Ga., and Jo Bowlin-Johnson of Deer Park, Spokane County; a brother, Larry of Tacoma; and eight grandchildren.

Services will be at 3 p.m. tomorrow at the Bonney-Watson Parker Chapel in Burien. Memorials are suggested to the Lake Chelan Community Hospital Hospice Program, P.O. Box 908, Chelan, WA 98816.