Ret. Col. Bobby Towery Dies at Age 59 after 8-Mile Race

Retired Col. Bobby Towery Jr., a 30-year U.S. Army veteran, member of the Ole Miss ROTC family and professor of military sciences died Saturday from a heart attack after running in a charity race.

Bobby Towery with granddog Walther. Photo via Facebook.

Towery, 59, is the son of the late Bob Towery Sr. and Kaye Bryant, and an Oxford native.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, at 11 a.m. at St Peter’s Episcopal Church in Oxford with the Rev. Jody Burnett officiating. Visitation will be prior to the service beginning at 9 a.m. in the Parish Hall at the church. Interment will follow immediately at Oxford Memorial Cemetery. Waller Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

He was commissioned as a U.S. Army Armor 2LT in 1983 from the University of Mississippi Army ROTC. He served in many leadership and command positions over his 30 years of service to include commanding two Armor Companies at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Additionally, he commanded the 3rd Forward Support Battalion 3rd Infantry Division into Iraq in 2003, was the Senior Logistics officer for the 82nd Airborne Division, and commanded the 61st Ordnance Brigade in Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland before becoming the 49th Deputy Commandant of the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

After retirement, Towery became president of ProMatura, a company located in Oxford. He also took on business ventures with members of the Oxford community supporting a landscaping business and organic farm. Throughout his life, Bobby was a tree farmer along with his mother, Kaye.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Lisa Carvery Towery of Southaven, two sons, CPT Patrick Towery of Fort Carson, Colorado and Nathan Towery, a doctoral student at the University of Alabama.

Towery taught Sunday School in Taegu, Korea, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and in Carlisle. He coached soccer, baseball and volunteered in many booster events. He served as the president of the Ole Miss ROTC Alumni Club and held master’s degrees from the University of Mississippi and the United States Army War College.

According to his obituary, Towery loved to travel and spent much of his free time in recent years behind a boat wake surfing and skiing. He most loved sharing his Smith Lake home with family and friends. He loved the Ole Miss Rebels and was at every home football, basketball and baseball game since he retired to Oxford.

Bobby’s numerous awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with V device for valor and three bronze oak clusters, Army Achievement Medal with bronze oak cluster, Presidential Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with two stars, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas service ribbon, Military Outstanding Service Medal, Combat Action Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge (Jumpmaster), Canadian Jump Wings as well as the Mississippi Magnolia Cross.

His focus to live a life of fitness, fun and in service to others is greatly reflected in his last moments on this earth. He ran an 8-mile race Saturday morning for his own fitness, for fun and to raise money for the Chuckie Mullins Endowment, which supports students with physical disabilities who attend Ole Miss.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 113 S. 9th Street, Oxford, MS 38655 or Army Emergency Relief (AER), 2530 Crystal Drive, Suite 13161, 13th Floor, Arlington, VA 22202.

Obituary Courtesy of Waller Funeral Home. News editor Alyssa Schnugg contributed to this story.