Obituary of David C. Bower

David "Dave" Charles Bower, also known as Luke the Drifter, 71, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and formerly Hollywood, California and Wilmington, Delaware, died Tuesday, June 14, 2022, from Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis. After a long illness, he went into the everlasting arms of Jesus surrounded by his loving family at his home. Dave was the son of the late Charles W. Bower and Emily L. (Schollhammer) Bower. He was also predeceased by his brother-in-law, Gary Reader. He is survived by his sister, Susan (John) Reader Kegelman, nieces, Kim (Darius) Holmes, Heather (Levi) Benson and Amber (David) Werner, and a nephew, Justin (Ashley) Reader. He is also survived by 9 great nieces and nephews: Hannah, Kendall, Joshua, Lillie, Jacoby, Lincoln, Camilla, Bryce and JD. They often referred to him as Hollywood Dave or Holly Dave to differentiate from their other Uncle Dave. Dave was excited to learn his niece is expecting a baby girl this fall. He will be greatly missed by his dear friend, Kathy Arnos, his godchild, Danielle Arnos, and a host of caring and loving friends. Dave was someone you could depend on, a voice of reason, he found good in all circumstances and he was a best friend to everyone. Dave was born in Dover, New Jersey and moved to Wilmington, Delaware. Eventually the family moved into a house built by his father, uncle and one other builder. He enjoyed a wonderful childhood with neighborhood friends, Boy Scouts (including a once in a lifetime camping trip to Philmont) and summers at Ashbourne Swim Club and his uncle's log cabin in Toms River, NJ. He enjoyed music and books and had an extensive collection of both. He had a great love of trains and enjoyed going to Mitchell's to add to his train collection. He also attended various rail rambles with his family. His admiration for the Beatles led him to learn to play the lead guitar fluently and he was in several bands playing at local pool parties, school dances and other venues. He graduated from Brandywine High School in 1969. Upon graduating high school, he backpacked across Europe. After working at Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Chester, PA, he moved to California to pursue his dreams of making it big in the music industry. While working at Studio Instrument Rentals, he met Michael Jackson while dropping off a delivery of musical recording equipment. When realizing that music may be more of a hobby, he returned to school attending LA City College, then UCLA and USC where he was salutatorian at graduation. He received his law degree from Western University School of Law and passed both the California and Delaware bar exams. He enjoyed donating his time to the community and volunteered at Covenant House with at-risk teenagers helping them develop their business skills and he also taught guitar lessons at The Blind Institute. For about 5 years, Dave was lead singer and lead and rhythm guitarist for a band called The DOG Tones. They produced an album called "Where's Otis" and it can be heard on Spotify. He later performed in The Len & Dave Trio and sang the Beatle's "Birthday" song to one of his nieces when his family saw him play at a venue in Sierra Madre. He bought a Craftsman home listed on the Historical Registry in Hollywood and restored it with the help of one other person after it had been destroyed by a fire. He later named it Hummingbird Ranch due to the large number of hummingbirds attracted to the native plantings he lovingly landscaped into his yard. It was his pride and joy and was featured in an architectural magazine. He held various jobs but his most recent was in human resources for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Dave always appreciated a good cup of coffee. In retirement, he was a docent at the Gamble House in Pasadena. He once gave his sister a private tour and he was an excellent tour guide. Dave was also a docent at Franklin Canyon and enjoyed guiding school classes on field trips. Afterwards, they would write and draw thank you notes that were always so sweet and funny and he often shared them with family. He also volunteered his time at the Hollywood Heritage Museum until they closed due to a fire. He was full of knowledge and a great tour guide anytime family or friends came to visit him in California. After moving back to the east coast in the spring of 2021, he enjoyed spending his time with his family and friends. He purchased a home on the same street as his sister so they could walk the neighborhood together, watch the fireflies and share a mojito on her deck. He enjoyed spending time at his great nieces and nephews sporting events and activities, Booths Corner Farmers Market, Winterthur and Longwood Gardens, and Ocean City, NJ. He also enjoyed watching online services in the parking lot of ValleyPoint Church because his weakened immune system kept him from attending in person. After the online services, he enjoyed standing outside in any weather to visit with his family as they came out of the service. He was thrilled to be able to catch up with old friends after moving back home. He was great at keeping in touch with people and preferred a phone call or a handwritten note over an email or text. His friends and family will remember him for his compassion, quick wit, generosity, humbleness, quirkiness, integrity and gentle spirit. He had a love of walking, hiking, traveling, nature, photography and developing film, books, music and anything trains. He enjoyed sharing his love of trains with his 2-year-old nephew who still fondly remembers riding on Thomas the Tank Engine in Strasburg with Uncle Dave last September. It seemed fitting that his family celebrated his last birthday by renting a caboose on the Wilmington Western Railroad and taking a steam engine ride through Hockessin. He was at peace in his faith and ready to meet his Maker. He looked forward to seeing his mother and father and his childhood dog, Trixie, again. The world has lost a great one. Gifts are not necessary but if you feel compelled, please donate to Covenant House, Los Angeles in Dave's memory, https://covenanthousecalifornia.org/donate-now/. Services will be private.