Arthur Scott Bowes Jr

Arthur Scott Bowes, Jr. — known to everyone simply as Scott — passed away peacefully on April 25, 2026, in St. Augustine, Florida, at the age of 86. He was a man who could fix anything, build anything, and leave every room a little warmer than he found it. Scott was born on August 16, 1939, in Coral Gables, Florida, to Arthur and Shirley (Harden) Bowes. As the son of an Army man, his childhood unfolded across the American landscape — Florida, Georgia, California, Hawaii, Alaska, and beyond — instilling in him a spirit of adaptability and quiet confidence that would define the rest of his life. He graduated from Anchorage High School and enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving from 1959 to 1964 and achieving the rank of Specialist 4. Stationed in Germany, he worked in the motor pool, developing a lifelong intuition for engines, machines, and anything with moving parts. When his active service transitioned to the Active Reserves in 1963, Scott landed in Fort Lauderdale with his Aunt Betty and Uncle Murphy, where he apprenticed at a print shop. It was there that he met Linda Ann Haynes. They married on April 23, 1964, and built a life together that was nothing short of extraordinary. In 1971, Scott and Linda, along with their three children, relocated to DeLand, Florida, where they founded Cypress Printing Company. Scott was the kind of man who didn’t just run a business — he built things. From wooden wagon wheels he crafted just to prove he could, to handmade bathroom cabinets and fine furniture produced in the full woodshop that anchored every home they shared. He was, as those who loved him liked to say, Bob Vila before Bob Vila — and Linda was the original Martha Stewart. Together they were pickers long before the term was fashionable, haunting flea markets, antique shops, and garage sales for treasures waiting to be discovered and restored. His ingenuity was legendary. Once, when a fan belt snapped on a 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook en route from visiting his mother in Mount Dora, Scott calmly removed his leather belt, cut it to size, stapled the ends together, and got the family the rest of the way home. Another time, he engineered an automatic numbering machine for the print shop using nothing more than an old truck wheel and a length of metal pipe. The man was a walking solution. He was also a father who meant what he said. When his two boys left their bikes in the driveway one too many times, Scott made good on his warning and put the bikes on the roof. The boys were mortified. The bikes never blocked the driveway again. Scott and Linda were beloved members of the Lake Beresford Yacht Club, where they danced away countless evenings, fished the St. Johns River, and made friends who became family. Their antique cars — including Linda’s memorable two-tone beige and brown Dodge sedan — were a source of pride, adventure, and occasional mechanical drama. Scott kept them running. Mostly. In 2018, Scott and Linda made their final move to St. Augustine, Florida, where the woodshop came with them, naturally. His garage could rival any hardware store for its inventory of screws, nuts, bolts, and tools. He built wooden outdoor Christmas trees strung with lights and whimsical yard ghosts for autumn, and on warm days, he and Linda fished from the neighborhood dock on the Intracoastal Waterway, swapping stories of their adventures sailing to the Bahamas. Scott is survived by his siblings Connie Belon of Redmond, Washington, and Ronald Bowes of Maui, Hawaii; his children Thomas Harold Bowes and Christine Bowes (Steven) Rodenbaugh; and his grandchildren Steven Bowes, Alexis Keeney, Michael Scott Rodenbaugh, Austin Bowes, and Taylor Bowes. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Linda Ann Bowes, and his son, Michael Edward Bowes. Scott Bowes had a dry sense of humor, boundless quiet affection, and a good story always at the ready — along with a few genuinely excellent jokes. He will be missed by anyone who ever had the pleasure of knowing him. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to [St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital]stjude.org

Arthur Scott Bowes Jr

August 16, 1939 - April 25, 2026