Samuel Young Bowling, Sr.
May 20, 1931 ~ March 14, 2026

Samuel Young Bowling, Sr passed away quietly on March 14, 2026. He was 94 years old.

Sam was born on May 20, 1931, the youngest son of Victor Benjamin Bowling, Sr, and Evelyn Young Bowling. He graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1948 and subsequently attended what was the-then Gordon Military College, in Barnesville, Georgia, as a member of the corps of cadets.

With many of his fellow cadets, Sam was called to active duty for the Korean War. He served with the 25th Infantry Division, "Tropic Lightning", 35th Infantry Regiment, Mike Company, Machine Gun Platoon. He earned the Combat Infantry Badge and the Korean Service Medal with two bronze stars. Sam was honorably discharged in November 1951 with 21 months of service. He brought home an appreciation for the Turkish Army and an abhorrence of cucumbers.

Shortly after returning from Korea, Sam began a thirty-three-year career at the Naval Ordnance Station, now Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head, Maryland. Sam was instrumental in unifying IT systems within the Center, as well as across the constellation of ordnance-management activities. He retired in 1986, having positioned his department and the Base for the emerging revolution in information management.

Sam joined the La Plata Volunteer Fire Department in the 1940s, as a teenager, serving a total of five years with them. It was the beginning of seventy years of service to the Volunteer Fire system in Charles County and Southern Maryland. A life member of then Fifth District, now Cobb Island Volunteer Fire Department and EMS, the fire service was his second family. Sam held multiple officer positions with CIVFD, some multiple times, and freely mentored the next generation of officers and leaders. He was a key player in developing requirements for new equipment, as well as the new fire house. At the County level, Sam served as President and Vice President of the Charles County Volunteer Fireman's Association. He was a member of the CCVFA Executive Committee for thirty years, holding the Chairman's gavel for eighteen of those years. During his tenure, numerous processes and documents for financial planning and accountability were revamped and strengthened. He led the Long-Range Planning Committee proposal development for the County-wide Fire and EMS Master Plan. With his peers, he coauthored the current Fire Tax Distribution System, and was himself the author of the CCVFA Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) legislation. He served on the LOSAP committee for many years. It was one of his proudest accomplishments in his service to the CCVFA. Throughout his Volunteer Fire service, Sam received numerous awards, highlights of which include: Fireman of the Year, Maryland State Council Knights of Columbus; Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemen's Association Hall of Fame 1987; TW Wright Award; and multiple citations for his service from the Charles County and Maryland State Governments.

Sam's contributions extended beyond the Fire Service, as a member of the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission, the 301 Corridor Task Force, the Charles County Form of Government Committee, and many panels and committees. He supported Ducks Unlimited and was a life member of the National Rifle Association.

In 1953, Sam married the love of his life, Joan Lancaster. It was the beginning of 73 years of partnership. They raised three children together in a household filled with books and boats, good cooking and chamois shirts, where everyone was welcome --- as we joked "Eat at Sam and Joan's --- they never close" –their friends, our friends, family, friends of family, family we'd never met from out of state – all the same. Have some coffee or a cup of soup. Sam presided, Joan guided, it worked. Their partnership extended to all of their individual interests, whether they overlapped or not. They have been a team in everything.

Sam is survived by Joan, his wife of 73 years, his sons Samuel Jr (Jan) and Joseph, and daughter Verlinda aka "Lindy" (Brian); two grandchildren, of whom he was inordinately proud, Benjamin and Alice; as well as numerous nephews and nieces.

There is a crowd waiting for him – his sisters Ann and Patricia, his brother Vic Jr, his parents Vic and Evelyn, in-laws Charles and Helen, VFD colleagues, and many others. He will be happy to see them all, particularly the hunting bros, Wes, George, Billy K, and Wayne, whose absence he has felt every fall when the leaves begin to turn.

Those who wish to honor Sam may make donations in lieu of flowers to: the Cobb Island Volunteer Fire Department and EMS or Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Issue.


Visitation
Monday
March 23, 2026
2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Cobb Island Volunteer Fire and EMS
17069 Cobb Island Rd.
Cobb Island, MD 20625


Prayers
Monday
March 23, 2026
6:00 PM
Cobb Island Volunteer Fire and EMS
17069 Cobb Island Rd.
Cobb Island, MD 20625


Funeral Mass
Tuesday
March 24, 2026
11:00 AM
Holy Ghost Church
15848 Rock Point Rd.
Newburg, Maryland 20664