Bowen Gillespie

Bowen E. Gillespie, 70, of Bellefontaine and North Palm Beach passed away Sunday, November 6, 2016.

He was born on April 16, 1946, the son of the late W. Edward and Evelyn (Bersinger) Gillespie. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Christine Bullock and friends he considered brothers, Greg and Steve Kerns.

He is survived by his wife, Betty (Blake-Andrews) Gillespie. He is also survived by his son, Roger (Maria) Gillespie of North Palm Beach and daughter Jennifer (John) Shannon of Austin, TX, two grandchildren; Bryce and Brooke Gillespie of North Palm Beach, a godson, Ric Kerns of Cape Coral, and a brother Brian (Scott) Gillespie of Dublin, OH, and several loved nieces and cousins.

Bo was a 1964 graduate of Bellefontaine High School and attended Kentucky Military Institute (KMI) in Lyndon, Kentucky. He was a patriot and a proud U.S. Army Veteran, serving during the Vietnam War. After returning home following his military service, he worked for his father at Ed Gillespie Inc. In the 1970’s, he moved to South Florida where he operated the first on-site surgical instrument repair business Mobile Instrument franchise for Mick Reed for a number of years. He split his time between Florida and Bellefontaine, OH. He moved back to his hometown in Ohio, where he opened, owned and operated Ponderosa Auto Sales before his retirement in 2012. He was a member and proud supporter of the Moose Lodge, American Legion, and V.F.W.

He was an avid car enthusiast, especially vintage Buicks including the 1971 Buick Gran Sport. He excelled at and loved drag racing, winning many races at Moroso Drag Strip in Florida and Bowling Green, Kentucky Drag Strip. He cherished the many valuable relationships that formed as a result, including Joe Magin and many others.

Pastor Bryan Meadows and the Logan County Veteran Honor Guard will officiate a memorial service at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 12, 2016 in the Eichholtz Daring & Sanford Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 321 N. Main St. Bellefontaine. Visitation will be two hours prior to the service. Burial will be in Bellefontaine Cemetery at a later date.

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