He wanted to live, and he did so right up until the very last moment.
“The last couple of years were tough with his health, but he smiled every day and was very grateful to my mother, Patty, for nursing him. He was forward-thinking and never gave up hope. He died courageously, with his boots on – ready to take the next step,” said Anne Bartlett, while fondly remembering her father, Francis “Frank” Paul Fowler.
Frank dedicated his life to his family, friends, music, and a profession in law.
“He was the wind beneath my wings,” said his wife, Patty Fowler, while acknowledging that music brought them together and enriched their lives.
“Music just filled our home every day. Frank loved it. When we went to listen to an orchestra, he could pick out every instrument by only the faintest note. He would say, ‘Listen to the oboe playing the treble (or soprano) range.’ He was classically trained in music and played the clarinet,” added Fowler, who is an organist in the Archdiocese of St. John’s, NL.
Bartlett added, “A year ago, while recovering from surgery in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Elizabeth (Fowler), my sister, and I came up with a playlist for him. He named the list ‘Frank’s ICU Cocktail Hour’ and played it in his room. The music brought the nurses joy. He brought joy into the lives of everyone he met.”
Frank served on many organizations, including the Law Society, Rotary, the archdiocese, the Neighbourhood Goodwill Center, Gathering Place, Presentation Associate Relationship, Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, the Boy Scouts of Canada, and many others.
“He promoted young professional women in their careers of law, a feminist before it was a thing. He sponsored various refugees to the country. Many of them are now graduating from nursing school or have successful lives as new Canadians because of Dad’s committee,” said Bartlett.
Most notably, Frank served an honourable and distinguished career in the legal profession.
In 2016, he was nominated in recognition of a lifetime of devotion to law and community service. To commemorate his retirement from the practice, Frank received the following awards and honours:
- Degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa;
- Gordon M. Stirling Distinguished Service Award; and
- Life membership.
“Many young lawyers attended my father’s funeral mass. He was a person of good judgement. He never treated anyone differently – no matter age or gender – and had compassion. He brought laughter into the toughest of life’s moments, always someone you could depend on and trust,” recalled Elizabeth Fowler.
Frank passed away on Feb. 18, and four days later, more than 600 people attended his funeral mass at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist.
“We had a piano, trumpet, a violinist, and the whole church sang. There were so many people in the community that loved him. The former premier Clyde Wells and his wife were there, Frank’s hairdresser, a waitress that served him and his friends. Everybody, from every walk of life, came to say ‘goodbye’ that morning.”
