Madeleine Bowen
Age - 95
December 3, 2023
Madeleine S. Bowen(December 28, 1927 - November 29, 2023)Madeleine S. Bowen, of Warminster, PA (formerly Willow Grove) passed away peacefully at home at the age of 95. Madeleine (Aunt Mad, Auntie Mame, Precious) was a bright, curious, and engaged woman until the end, a loving mother and grandmom, early foodie, and zealous traveler. Madeleine had a zest for life and a sharp intellect that never left her, even in her last years. She read the newspaper religiously and enjoyed films, theater, food and wine, and the fine arts -- both at local landmarks like the Barnes and the Philadelphia Museum of Art and at museums around the world, such as the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris. Madeleine was an enthusiastic Francophile who enjoyed the art, food, culture, and language of her mother's homeland. She traveled there to connect with family, cooked dishes she learned from Jacques Pepin and Julia Child, and founded the French Club at Ann's Choice as well as the much-loved Wine and Cheese party. A gracious hostess, Madeleine was a true foodie before the term existed, turning out feasts from her small galley kitchen in Willow Grove. She crafted clambakes and pig roasts at the Jersey Shore and was always game for happy hour clams and oysters. An adventurer, Madeleine went on Safari in Africa, thrilled at the whirling dervishes in Turkey, explored the Greek isles, and ate her way through Europe, as well as the U. S. and Canada. She loved nothing more than soaking up the sun on a Caribbean island or Mexican beach. A fun-loving risk taker, trouble seemed to follow her wherever she went, including a run in with a dog on the beach during her first hour in St. Croix. Madeleine went to the Germantown School of Nursing where she became a RN. She met her lifelong friend, Gloria, on her first assignment in the early 1950s as a visiting nurse for new mothers. She later worked at Holy Redeemer hospital. After her husband died, she raised four children and went to Temple to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She went on to spend the rest of her career working for the Pennsylvania Department of Health as an inspector of nursing homes and hospitals, where she gained the well-earned nickname "Columbo. "An avid gardener, Madeleine created an oasis of greenery on her patio in Ann's Choice where she often entertained friends and family. Family, and her roles as a loving daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and aunt, were most important to her. She was loved by friends and family and will be greatly missed. Madeleine was the third of three daughters to Juliette and Frank Serpentino. She grew up in Jenkintown and Elkins Park, PA. Madeleine married Bill Bowen (deceased 1966) and had two boys, the late Frank (Janet) and the late John (Susan Corley), and two girls, Roberta (Szyper) and Nina. She is survived by seven grandchildren; Amber, Corley, John, Madon, Harley, Rachel, Marguerite and also six great grandchildren, John, Logan, Emily, Allison, James, and Eli. Relatives and friends are invited to her viewing on Tuesday, December 5th from 10-11 am followed by her funeral mass at 11 am, both at Nativity of Our Lord church, 605 West Street Rd. Warminster, PA 18974. Interment is at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, followed by a luncheon at Taormina's restaurant, 880 Jacksonville Road, Ivyland at 1:30 pm. Services entrusted to the Joseph J. McGoldrick Funeral Home, Jenkintown, PA. Condolences: www. McGoldrickFH. comShow more
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