City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Hal K Bowman
Cary, North Carolina
Age 91.
Died 08/22/2025.
Golf, Planes, Boats, Sheep, and Song
After spending his day on the golf course, Hal Kay Bowman drove himself to the hospital where he passed in the early hours of Friday, August 22, 2025, with his wife, Mercedes Auger, by his side.
Hal Bowman grew up in Indiana, attended Bloomington High School, and graduated from Purdue University in 1956. Following graduation, he entered the Air Force pilot training program, was on active duty for seven and a half years and served an additional thirteen years in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves as a combat ready pilot in both bombers and fighters. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
After active-duty military service, he was employed for six years at Sunbeam Corporation in Chicago and went to Burroughs Wellcome Company based in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. In 1980 he founded Zema Corporation which purchased the Pulvex pet product line from Wellcome. The company produced and packaged shampoos, sprays, pharmaceutical and grooming products for dogs and cats. The company was sold in 1995 and he retired in 2000.
He continued an active flying career in retirement in light planes and gliders. He owned a Yak-52 Russian trainer and was a wingman with the Bandits Formation Team (Bullseye Flight Team) performing opening ceremonies at NC State football games, NASCAR, and veteran’s events. He also volunteered flying a crop duster and towing gliders for the North Carolina Soaring Association. His last plane was a 1947 Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser.
In high school, Hal won the Indiana State Fair Sheep Shearing Contest and went on to shear many sheep throughout his lifetime, often helping local farmers. Among his many hobbies, Hal kept a tradition of shearing a sheep on his birthday, a ritual he continued until his 90th year.
Hal’s love of music gave him many treasured experiences, including his time with the Purdue Glee Club, where he performed at President Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration and sang “Mame” to Mrs. Eisenhower during the inaugural parade. He continued his love of song with the Concert Singers of Cary.
Hal and Mercedes were active in winter months with the International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association. He was an accomplished iceboat racer, competing across North America, Europe, and Russia.
When he was not otherwise occupied, he was often found on the MacGregor Downs golf course where he went out swinging.
He is survived by his wife Mercedes Auger, his daughter Elizabeth Bowman (Brent McLachlan) and many beloved family members. He was preceded in death by his daughter Tracy Bowman, his first wife Becky Bowman, parents Starlin and Mary (Jeffers) Bowman and brother Ned Bowman.
In keeping with Hal’s wishes, no formal service will be held. A celebration of his life may be planned at a later date.
The family invites friends to share memories and condolences on Hal’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hal.bowman.31
Missing Man Tribute: https://bullseyeflightteam.com/
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.