The forum for the Greg Bowman mission reached double-digit pages before the visitation began and continues to collect poignant posts days after the funeral was over. Read it here.

Several of the posts related to our friends from Westboro Baptist Church. John and Merlene live in Princeton and opened their home to Greg’s mom and dad for the two days they visited Princeton – two days that coincided with the visitation and funeral of Corporal Keith A. Nurnberg 150 miles northeast of Princeton. John would later post, “Mom Bowman told us that she would be honored and proud if the u.g.'s showed up at Greg's funeral because they felt what he did with the PGR was disrupting enough to them that they felt they need to be here. And if they were here Greg would be very proud himself because he won and kept them away from bothering someone else's family.”

Well, the “uninvited guests” (as we call them, with hyper-courtesy) did show up for Greg’s funeral, and not for the Corporal’s. George from San Antonio posted thoughts that most closely parallel my own, so I simply repeat him in total, just below this. After that is the U.G. poster that George was reacting to. Then a picture of Greg taken at the end of the Lancaster mission in Stockton and one last post taken from Greg’s forum that I again simply repeat in total.

briscoeg

Posts: 387

16 Sep 2007 11:38 PM

I am so glad to hear that everything went so well for Greg's memorial and that the UGs were kept out of sight of not only his memorial, but away from the Corporal's funeral, too.

Here in South Central Texas, we weren't able to attend, but we were there with you in spirit. We talked about it Friday at the mission briefing for Cpl. Paredes in San Antonio. We talked about it Saturday at an American Legion riders event. We raised a toast to Greg at lunch during our Sunday ride through the Hill Country.

We all agreed that we would be proud to wear a patch in his honor (and I hope they will be made) that says:

"Proud To Be An Aging
Hell-Bound Ruffian"!!!!!

Little did "those" people realize that they were paying a bunch of bikers a complement!

Thank you, Greg.

Happy trails to you.

George
San Antonio

mombowman
Posts: 1

18 Sep 2007 9:29 AM

To our extended PGR family,

How can we say “thank you” for being there for Greg and our family this past week? Not always in person, but through the “airwaves” as well.

Words seem so inadequate at a time like this. We have followed the thread everyday and cried everyday. I, Mom Bowman, was angered at first by the words being distributed by “the others”, then I thought, Greg must have done something really good for them to think he had been so important that they needed to come all the way from Kansas to do “their thing”. AND I knew PGR would take care of the situation as Greg and Mike had done on the Missions we had been on with them. When we came around the corner and saw the fire trucks and heard the loud church music, we knew “they” were there and we were, gratefully, protected. Well done PGR!!

The marvelous lines of flags at the funeral home, at the church, and to Greg’s office. Well done PGR!!! I am so glad we decided to go on the Lancaster Mission in Stockton. We met some of you for the first time that day, you were on your first Mission. Greg was directing traffic that was coming down from the cemetery when we approached him later, after standing flag lines at the funeral home and cemetery that day. He said, “Mom, I will talk to you later, the family cars are coming now, I have to go take care of them and thanks for coming today”. Mission First. How I would rather have been standing flag lines the past days instead of being on the “inside”.

My heart is broken and I know you may have some related feelings also. I always knew that Greg would be an organizer, as are his brothers and sister, but I never expected our Son would be so recognized and loved by so many. You will never know how loved we felt from those who traveled from near and far to honor Greg, to shake our hands or give us a hug. You all have become a very important part of our lives. For right now, the PGR flag you gave to us lays over a banister near our kitchen and offices. We want you to know it gets a gentle hand on it many times a day as we pass by. We feel your love there. At times, our grief is overwhelming.

If any of you are out for a ride on the roads north of Polo, please stop in and see us.

You will always be welcome and hugs are a requirement.

Mission Completed, Mom and Dad Bowman