Dan P. Bowling

Dan P. Bowling, age 93, died peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family, in Rancho Palos Verdes, California on June 8, 2016 after a brief illness. Dan was a man who took care of others his entire life and was endearingly referred to by family and friends as Papa Dan.

The son of Frank Bowling and Florence "Flossie" Bowling, Dan was born in Miami, Arizona on September 18th, 1922; the fifth of six children. The family soon moved to Bisbee, Arizona where his father was an advocate for miner's rights and elected to the Arizona State Legislature. Dan graduated from Bisbee High School in 1940 and immediately relocated to San Pedro, California where many relatives already resided.

When war broke out in December, 1941, Dan was employed at the Bethlehem Shipyard on Terminal Island but volunteered for military service joining the U. S. Army in 1942 and transferring to the Army Air Force soon after. In late 1943, he graduated from the Army Air Force advanced training school as a pilot at Freeman Field in Seymour, Indiana and married his San Pedro sweetheart, Sylvia Lois Van Devander, that December. In early 1944, after B-25 Mitchell certification, Dan was held over before going overseas and given a special "Green Card" for advanced training in "Instrument Flying." He was the only line pilot in his Bomb group to have such a rating. Dan left for the Mediterranean Theater flying a new B-25 Mitchell from Miami, Florida to North Africa via Ascension Island. In August, 1944 he was posted to the 57th Bomb Wing, 445th Squadron, 321st Bomb Group operating in northern Italy. During the next ten months he flew sixty-seven arduous and eventful combat missions mostly against heavily-defended German-held military targets situated in northern Italy including Galliate, Roverto, Argenta, Ostiglia, Bologna, Bozzola, Vipetano and numerous operations over the deadly Brenner Pass; most as the Bomb Group or Squadron Leader on the mission. Dan was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster and the Air Medal with eleven Oak Leaf Clusters. During target practice, Captain Bowling, along with his bombardier, Joseph Silnutzer, perfected "Evasive Action" techniques that limited the amount of time a group of planes had to remain over the target area during a bomb run; this method increased bombing accuracy and reduced air casualties. Through Dan's efforts, the 321st Bomb Group achieved near 100% accuracy on many of their missions and held the highest bombing accuracy record of any unit in the Army Air Force during World War II.
Upon return to southern California after the war, Dan, along with his father-in-law, R.E. Van Devander, established Van Devander Realty in 1946 and Van Devander Construction in 1947. During the next forty-three years Dan built nearly 800 homes, commercial buildings, housing tracts, car washes, schools and churches predominantly in the South Bay area.
Throughout his life, Dan didn't talk much about his World War II experiences but in 2010 published a critically acclaimed memoir "Follow PDI – My Experiences as an AAF B-25 Pilot During World War II." Recently, while autographing books at the Chino Airport, an individual told Dan that he was a real war hero whereby Dan put down his pen and replied "No, the real war heroes' are my friends that are still over there."
Bowling is survived by his wife of seventy-three years "Sylvia Lois", son Lance, daughter Mitzi Bowling Cress (Hoby), grandchildren Dandi Cress O'Connor (Mickey), Devan Cress (Courtney), Dan Cress (Lela) and great grand-children Delaney, Charleston (Charlie) and Callahan. The family wishes to thank Trinity Hospice and the many loving caregivers and nurses who took such good care of Papa Dan.

Services are scheduled for Wednesday, June 15th, at 10am at St. Peters Episcopal Church, 1648 9th St., San Pedro. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a favorite charity.


Funeral Home:
Green Hills Mortuary and Memorial Chapel
27501 S.Western Ave.
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
US 90275