OBITUARY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 April 1940, Page 6

OBITUARY

MR. JOHN BOWDEN. The death occurred yesterday afternoon in Masterton of Mr John Bowden, at the age of 81 years. The late Mr Bowden was an early resident of Dunedin. He had spent 79 years in New Zealand, having come to Dunedin from Victoria with his parents in the ship Gothenberg. The family came to Melbourne from Liverpool in a sailing vessel called the Marco Polo about 1857. For the past ten years he was manager at Martinborough of the Wairarapa Farmers’ Co-operative Association, Ltd., and formerly was well known in insurance circles, having been manager in Auckland of the Victoria Insurance Company, and ; having come to Wellington in 1904 under appointment as assistant manager of the State Fire Office, which was then to be established. Later he joined the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation, and for several years was again located at Dunedin, and subsequently controlled the Insurance Department of the Canterbury . Farmers’ Co-operative Association at Timaru.

In common with many others of his generation, Mr Bowden enjoyed excellent health, and right up to last Christmas was daily in attendance at his office, and was active in his garden. In his young days he was an enthusiastic cricketer, and later enjoyed the fellowship of the bowling green. He had a fund of- reminiscence of the early clays in Otago, and of the Auckland district of fifty years ago. For many years Mr Bowden was secretary of the Congregational Union of New Zealand, and was a member of the Masonic fraternity. He is survived by his widow and by six children of his first marriage, namely, Messrs E. W. J. Bowden (Auckland), C. M. Bowden (Wellington). H. J. Bowden (Christchurch), L. A. Bowden (Timaru). Miss Bowden of the Y.W.C.A., Wellington, and Mrs Len Porch (Molong, N.S.W.) The funeral will take place tomorrow, leaving the chapel of Hyde’s Funeral Service. Church Street, after a service which will be held at 1.30 p.m.. for the Masterton Cemetery. MRS G. RINALDI. The death occurred last night of Mrs Agnes Rinaldi, widow of the late Mr George Rinaldi, of Masterton. The late Mrs Rinaldi, who was 68 years of age, had been indisposed for the past three months. She was born in Italy and came to New Zealand in 1913. and had resided in Masterton ever since. Her husband predeceased her in 1923. Two sons. Messrs V. Rinaldi (Christchurch) and L. Rinaldi (Masterton) and one daughter. Mrs L. Gillies (Christchurch), besides four grandchildren, are left to mourn their loss. The funeral will take -place tomorrow. leaving St Patrick's Church at 3.30 p.m. for the Masterton Cemetery.