Obituary of Elizabeth Howard Bowen Chase

Elizabeth Howard Bowen Chase, 61, died peacefully at home in Belfast, Maine, on February 5, 2020. The daughter of Richard Bowen and Virginia Howard Bowen, she grew up in Swansea, MA., and attended the Wheeler School in Providence, RI. During the 11th grade, Liz spent a formative semester with a French family in a small village in Normandy. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Colby College, and received a Masters degree from Brown University in French literature in 1984. She returned to teach French at Colby for 2 years and direct their Colby-In-Dijon semester abroad program. After a period with Fleet Bank, Liz again returned to Colby in 1998 and for 11 years administered financial aid in their Student Financial Services department. She met John Chase sharing tunes from ‘H.M.S. Pinafore’ while seated at the counter of his brother’s family’s restaurant, Chase’s Daily, in Belfast. They were married in 2015. Liz was joyful, generous in spirit and actions, playful, unassuming, concerned for friends and respectful of strangers. Having inherited the Howard gift-of-gab, she never hesitated to draw the unwary into conversation. She thrived on the beauty of the earth, its colors and the freshness of air. She had deep interest in Zen Buddhism and attended retreats at Zen Mountain Monastery in Mount Tremper, NY. An organ enthusiast, Liz spent many midnight hours indulging her passion in the empty Central Congregational Church in Providence, when she should have been studying French. Liz greatly enjoyed rowing her ocean shell and joining the Come Boating gig crews navigating Penobscot Bay. She volunteered for Belfast Senior College administrative duties. Being a direct descendant of Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, Liz was a member of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America. In addition to her husband, John, Liz is survived by her brother Joseph Whitney Bowen, II, and his wife Karen M. Bowen, Liz’s nephew Joseph Whitney Bowen, III, his wife, Brittany L. Bowen and their son, Joseph Whitney Bowen, IV, and Liz’s niece, Ashley W. Bowen. Liz should be mourned by her pampered felines: Sophie, Bella and Lucy, but they may be more interested in supper. Liz was predeceased by her parents and by her sister, Ann W. Bowen. A private family service will be held at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Providence, followed by private burial at Swan Point Cemetery. In lieu of flowers or donations, Liz would prefer you hug a loved one or perform a random act of kindness. Arrangements are in the care of Riposta Funeral Home, Belfast, ME, and Waring-Sullivan at Birchcrest, Swansea, MA.