Richard Stowers ... worked at Farmington NAPA till age 88; at 89

ROCHESTER - Richard Lawrence Stowers, 89, of Rochester, died Feb. 21, 2025. He was born on Jan. 11, 1936, in Methuen, Mass. He was predeceased by his parents, Lawrence R. Stowers and Marie M. (Burgess) Stowers, his sister Gloria M. Blomerth, and his beloved wife, Carol L. Stowers (Baltimore).

He is survived by his daughter Jill D. Tetu and her husband Donald C. Tetu of Lebanon, Maine, daughter Holly B. Stowers and her wife Penny L. Moore of Rochester, son Tod R. Stowers of Rochester, and his partner Donna Guivens of Northwood; granddaughter Alexis R. Stowers and her husband Sachet Timilsina of Manchester, grandson Logan M. Stowers of Farmington, and great-grandson Sage Timilsina.
As a young man, Richard served eight years in the Navy Reserves. His passion for Jeeps led him to a career as a mechanic at Millbrook Motors in Duxbury, Mass. Richard and Carol married in June 1961, and he later took on a second job as a part-time police officer with the Duxbury Police Department so that Carol could stay home to care for their three kids. The family relocated to Rochester in 1973 where he worked as Parts Manager at Towle's Jeep dealership.
He was hospitalized in 1980 with bacterial meningitis but bravely bounced back after a year of rehabilitation and went to work for the Rochester School Department as a custodian, from where he retired in 1998. He then worked part-time at NAPA Auto Parts in Farmington until the ripe old age of 88.
Richard was a kind soul with a heart of gold. He always had a big smile on his face and a positive outlook on life. He stayed active by puttering in his garage, rebuilding Jeeps, and lending a helping hand whenever his kids needed help fixing things or working on their cars. He enjoyed road trip vacations with Carol, four-wheeling at Camp Jeep, music, jigsaw puzzles, attending church at New Level Church and Grace Community Church, and dining at Windjammers every Sunday.