A Life Story

Richard Harris Jowers, Jr. died unexpectedly July 22, 2026. Rick was born June 15, 1969, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Henry Grady High School in Atlanta, received his bachelor’s degree from Kennesaw State University, and his master’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Aeronautical Science. Rick’s lifelong love of flying and travel enabled him to visit 44 countries and 541 cities during his 21-year tenure as a captain with Netjets. He accumulated nearly two million miles under his wings, enough to have flown around the world 80 times. Prior to joining Netjets, he acted as a flight instructor, flew fire watch for the forestry service in the north Georgia mountains, crop dusted the fields near his grandmother’s home in middle Georgia, and flew commercial for US Airways. He also maintained his helicopter pilot’s rating. Taking off in the mornings, Rick would always comment how lucky he was to have a front row seat for the sunrise and was grateful for each and every day God gave him. Rick also had a lifelong love of steam locomotives which he learned from his parents, having taken his first steam train trip at just six weeks old. He witnessed Union Pacific’s Big Boy 4014 in its cross-country tour celebrating America’s 250th anniversary just days before his passing. Rick enjoyed the outdoors, including four-wheeling and rappelling, boating, water sports and scuba diving. He was an expert marksman and enjoyed sharing his passions with anyone who would listen. Most of all, Rick loved sharing time with his family and many friends. Rick was preceded in death by his father, Richard H. Jowers, Sr.; grandparents May C. Jowers/Richard A. Jowers, and Johnnie V. W. Johnson/Ralph Edward Johnson. He is survived by his sons, Nicholas Allen Jowers and William Alexander Jowers; mother, Mary Johnson Jowers; sister Mary Elizabeth Jowers/Andrew Haselden; brother Jonathan Edward Jowers/Debraleigh Jowers; nieces and nephew Harper Elizabeth Haselden, India May Jowers, and Ian Matthew Jowers; aunts Marcia J. Caskey and Rebecca López Jowers/Luis López Guerra; and cousins Nathan Caskey, Hariett Tripp, and Matthew Tripp. Rick will be remembered for his amazing stories, his rapid-fire, if not sometimes irreverent wit, his desire to connect with everyone he met, and most of all, his love for his sons.