Simon James Bowland

Simon James Bowland, 83, of Cañon City, Colorado, passed away surrounded by family on May 22, 2026. He was born January 13, 1943, in a cold newspaper-lined shack in the Ozark hills near Stoutland, Missouri, a humble beginning that shaped a man of remarkable ingenuity and love for the rugged American West.

Simon was the youngest child, joining three older sisters in the family of Charlie Westley and Margaret Elizabeth (Carley) Bowland. He grew up in the Warrensburg and Knob Noster area of Missouri, where he served his country as a combat engineer in the Missouri Army National Guard, completing his service in 1969 at the rank of Specialist Fifth Class. It was also in those years that a blind date would change the course of his life, introducing him to Susan Nell Gash, the woman who would become his partner in every adventure that followed. Simon and Susan married in 1967 and headed west, putting down roots on the western slope of Colorado in the Glenwood Springs and Rifle area, where Simon built a custom home building business and a life full of promise.

Two sons joined the family, Nathan in 1972 and Justin in 1975. A man of deep faith, Simon served as a Southern Baptist deacon and was active in Home Mission Board church building and local outreach initiatives. When the shale crash reshaped the region’s fortunes, he moved his family onward with characteristic resilience, reinventing himself as a church builder, skilled woodworker, and cabinetmaker, first in Salmon, Idaho, and then in West Yellowstone, Montana. His craftsmanship and faith spoke for themselves, and his reputation followed him wherever he went.

Simon was a curious explorer at heart, deeply in love with the Mountain West in all its forms, jeeping and snowmobiling across the Flat Tops of Colorado, ATV’ing and riding horseback throughout the West Fork of the Gravelly Range in southwest Montana. Perhaps no place held a deeper claim on his spirit than hunting camp on Gazelle Creek, below Windy Hill in the Gravellys, a place of wilderness, tradition, and quiet joy.

In his later years, Simon and Susan traveled and worked around the country extensively with a home base of Whitehall, MT. He was fond of saying they found nice places wherever they went, and few who knew him doubted it. Simon had experienced many challenging medical issues over the last decade, but he always focused on the positive aspects of a life well lived.

Simon is survived by his devoted wife of 59 years, Susan; his sons Nathan (Kelly) of Cañon City, Colorado, and Justin (Kami) of Twin Bridges, Montana; ten grandchildren; and two great-granddaughters. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sisters Dorothy, Sarah, and Anne.

No service or memorial is planned. A simple family man who lived a rich simple life, he would encourage all to get outdoors and find your peace.
If any wish to donate in memoriam, the family recommends one of Simon’s longtime favorite charities. https://bestfriends.org

The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the wonderful team from Fremont Regional Hospice that assisted with his transition.

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