Rachel Louise (Long) Bowman was born December 2, 1940 and was the fourth child born to Raymond Fielden Long and Opal Esther Long.
Rachel, pictured sitting in a chair, was born in Bluffton, Indiana in one bedroom of their small home. The doctor who delivered Rachel initially presumed that Rachel had died during the birth as she appeared not to be breathing or crying. Her father, Raymond was in the room when the doctor told him and Opal the somber news. Immediately Raymond fainted onto the bedroom floor. Rachel’s maternal grandmother was also in the room and was the first to notice Rachel beginning to cry, which signified she was alive. Rachel’s parents were both from small towns south of Indianapolis, Indiana and had deep family roots there. Raymond Fielden Long, Rachel’s father, was born in 1908. He worked in many trade work jobs that included janitorial work and working for the Buick car company. Opal Esther Long, Rachel’s mother, was born in 1916. Opal’s maiden name was Frantz. She spent most of her working career at Saint Joseph’s Hospital as a central supply person and worked in sterilizing the hospital. Rachel’s parents met, married, and started their family in …show more content…
She also continued her babysitting jobs and tutoring kids. doing things with her sisters. One example of her likes changing as she matured was the shift in her favorite actress of the time. Her favorite actress was originally Shirley Temple as a child, but then changed to Elizabeth Taylor as she reached her teenage years.
In her senior year of high school on December 27, 1958 Rachel Louise Long got married to Willis Richard Bowman. They were married in a small community church in Leroy, Michigan surrounded by close friends and family. Their wedding photo is pictured here. They had known each other since they were little children. Willis had grown up living next to one of Rachel’s friend’s