Thursday, January 16, 2014

Family establishes Wally Bowe Fund; First Event April 11

Darlene Bowe, wife of the late Wally Bowe, has established a fund in his name to benefit the Salesian Boys & Girls Club. 

Wally was a family friend from my days on Chelsea Street and the Salesian Boys Club. There is not a day that goes by where we don't miss Wally and all the values he embodied.


The following letter was sent out to Wally's friends in East Boston and beyond.


Dear ………………………….:

Wally Bowe spent much of his life giving selflessly to others. Working for decades in East Boston, at the Salesian Boys & Girls Club, Savio High School and the Umana Middle School, Wally made a tangible impact on the lives of thousands of young people. Everyone who knew him knew that Wally was a popular guy in the community, but no one was prepared for the amazing number of people who came to pay their respects when he suddenly passed away nearly four years ago. He was truly admired and loved throughout East Boston and beyond.

In addition to his work in the community, Wally was a wonderful husband and father. Now, those of us who knew him best have created The Wally Bowe Fund – not only to keep his memory alive, but to continue the good work he did every day as a coach, teacher and role model for local youth. The fund, administered by his wife, daughters Jillian and Janae, and others in the community, will provide support to the Salesian Boys & Girls Club, a non-profit that Wally attended as a young man and where he worked for 25 years.

The fund will host its first event on April 11 at the Revere VFW, and we hope that you will be able to attend. In addition, we are seeking donations to defray the cost of the evening and to make a contribution to the Salesian Boys & Girls Club, a program that has been serving children and teens from East Boston and surrounding communities since 1945. The club offers an after-school program during the school year as well as a all-day summer program. Young people of all ages receive homework help, take part in athletics, use their creativity in arts and crafts, and become involved in many other activities and programs in a safe, structured environment.

Wally was dedicated to the Salesian Boys & Girls Club and to the work he did with young people. It is now up to us to keep alive his spirit and to work together to give our children opportunities for education, fitness, socialization and fun. Please join me in this mission.

My sincere thanks,



Darlene Bowe