Fowler, Joseph (Curtis) father of Larry Fowler 1969

[Bob]

FOWLER, JOSEPH (CURTIS) - age 82, passed away Friday, August 26, 2011 at his home, surrounded by his family. Curtis was born October 16, 1928 in Knoxville. He was a graduate of Halls High School. He was married for 64 years to his loving and supportive wife, Elizabeth Morgan Fowler. He worked for Rohm and Hass for 39 years, retiring in 1987. He was an ordained deacon at West Lonsdale Baptist Church for years, where he was involved with the Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief and helped start World Changers. He was a member of First Baptist Church Concord where he was a member of the Anthony Conklin Sunday School Class. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clyde V. Fowler and Nora Jane Whaley Fowler, his step mother Ruth Fowler and his brother, Thurman Fowler. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, his son, Larry Curtis Fowler of Knoxville, daughter Kathy Fowler Wilkerson (Rick) of Cary, N.C.; his daughter, Kristi Fowler Paczkowksi of Knoxville; grandchildren Joseph and Jeremy Fowler, Brittany and Eli Wilkerson, and Seth and Caleb Paczkowski; brothers Bernard (Jean), Herman, Marvin (Ann), Martin (Pat), and George (Sonya), and sisters Wanda, Fran and Margaret (Bill) and several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends Monday from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church Concord. Funeral services will follow immediately at 7:00 p.m. with Reverend Steve Peek officiating. Burial will take place at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday at Highland Memorial Park. The family requests that those who worked with him wear disaster relief attire appropriate to the occasion. The family also asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Missions Mobilization Center Fund. Donations may be made during the receiving of friends, where envelopes will be provided, by mail at TBC Missions Mobilization Center, P.O. Box 728, Brentwood, TN 37024-0728 (Make check to TBC. On the memo line: MMC Fund in memory of Curt Fowler), or online at http://missionsmobilizationcenter.blogs ... ation.html where donors may memorialize Mr. Fowler on the mosaic wall. Curt Fowler is a legend among Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief workers. He was among the first DR volunteers trained in 1978 and was a part of the first responder team in 1982 while still working full time. He rose to the top volunteer DR position - White Cap - and served in that role for 13 years until 2005. He developed and built innovative DR equipment, and saw the ministry grow from 25 volunteers to over 10,000. He also helped coordinate the long-term response of a variety of Christian churches through national Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). Fowler received the first Archie King Award of Tennessee Baptist DR and was made honorary chairman of the Missions Mobilization Center in 2008. He served as Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief Coordinator, was one of the planners of Baptist Builders of Tennessee and served as Director of Disaster and Relief Services for the Knox County Association of Baptists until the moment of his death. During his long career as a supervisor at Rohm and Haas chemical company, God prepared him well for his Disaster Relief work. At Rohm and Hass he learned about mechanics, rigging, welding, electrical work, and plumbing. After his experience following Hurricane Andrew in 1992, when the DR team was not prepared for the hundreds of people in Florida lined up for food, his constant thought was that Tennessee Baptist DR can do better. So he and others got to work developing and building one of the first feeding units in a trailer, allowing volunteers to serve over 10 times the number of meals as before. He also built one of the first shower/laundry units used in the field. Renowned for his work ethic, he returned to DR work soon after suffering a heart attack during DR service in St. Kitts helping residents rebuild following a hurricane. An associate has declared Fowler to have been "totally sold out on meeting the needs of people" for over 30 years. Though he could not be on site because of his health, after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, he manned three phones at times with the help of family members to coordinate the response of Tennessee Baptist DR and coordinated the local mass feeding mission in Knox County for Katrina evacuees. Fowler will also be remembered for serving as white cap for Tennessee Baptist DR in New York City following the 2001 9/11 attack. By accident, the state DR caravan became a part of the President's motorcade. They were greeted royally, worked 24/7 and received a grateful response from New York residents. Funeral arrangements are by Weaver Funeral Home. You are invited to share your condolences and sign Mr. Fowler's guest book on our website, http://www.weaverfuneralservices.com
Published in Knoxville News Sentinel on August 28, 2011