'Nettie' Bowden, 94 SEAFORD - Marie Antoinette "Nettie" Bowden, 94, passed away peacefully while surrounded by her loving family at Genesis Seaford Center on January 5, 2016. Born August 5, 1921 in Siltzheim, France, she was the daughter of the late Nicholas and Marie Berthe Gambs. For the first 24 years of her life, she lived in the city of Sarreguemines in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, which was under enemy occupation during World War II. She fell in love with her future husband, Ronald Bowden, whom she met in December 1944 when he was stationed as a GI in her province. They married in Sarreguemines in June 1945 following the end of the war in Europe. Later that year, she moved to the United States to join her husband in Seaford, Delaware, where she lived the remainder of her life. Nettie was, first and foremost, devoted to her husband and to raising and educating her four children. She was an avid flower gardener and enjoyed traveling and reading. She was a fabulous cook. As a charter member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Seaford, she remained active in the church and parish throughout her life. Nettie was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Ronald Bowden, who died in 2008. Besides her parents, she was also preceded in death by her sister, Gaby; and her brothers, Edmond and Raymond. She is survived by her children, Lorraine (Paul), Edmond, Charles (Jeanette), and Christine (Brad); and her beloved grandchildren, Jessica and Natan. A visitation with family will be held on Friday, January 8, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cranston Funeral Home, 300 N. Shipley Street, Seaford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, January 9, 2016, at 11 a.m. at our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 532 E. Stein Hwy, Seaford. Burial will immediately follow at Odd Fellows Cemetery, Seaford. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Seaford Historical Society, 203 High St, Seaford, DE, 19973.