Dr. Malcolm Ayer Sowers

1921 - 2014  (92 years)

• Name	Malcolm Ayer Sowers  [1]
  Prefix	Dr.
  Born	24 Dec 1921	Bangkok, Thailand
  Gender	Male
  Died	2 Oct 2014	Alameda County, California   [2]
  	Obituary Dr. Malcolm Sowers, San Francisco Chronicle 8 Oct 2014: Malcolm A. Sowers, M.D. Dec. 24, 1921-Oct. 2, 2014 Dr. Malcolm Ayer Sowers passed away on Oct. 2, 2014. He practiced psychiatry in Hayward and Castro Valley, pioneering the practice of group therapy. He retired in 1993 after more than 40 years of private practice. He was on the staff at Eden Medical Center, including chief of psychiatry. Before starting private practice he served as a captain in the Air Force in Japan during the Korean War. He was born in Bangkok, Thailand on Dec. 24, 1921 to Francis and Phyllis Sowers and came to the United States with his mother before he was a year old. As a child he grew up in Carlsbad in southern California and came north to the University of California when he was nineteen. After graduating from Berkeley he earned his M.D. from UCSF Medical School. He met his wife, Helen, at Berkeley and they were married in October 1943. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last year. Malcolm is survived by his wife Helen; four children, Robert, Douglas, Betty, and Brian; eight grandchildren; and five great grandchildren. Malcolm enjoyed skiing, backpacking, and other outdoor sports. He instilled a sense of adventure and love of the outdoors in all his children. Along with physical attributes he also set the example of tolerance, fairness, and acceptance of differences. Many remember him for his creative mind and unusual sense of humor. After retiring he joined a writing class and wrote a book, The Shrink Talks Back. He was an avid sailor and sailboat racer. He had a series of sailboats, starting with a sailing canoe when he was 17. When he was stationed in Japan he had the hull of a sailboat built, then shipped to San Francisco. He spent many hours finishing the boat, but finally purchased a larger one and then an Islander 30, which he finally gave up seven years ago. Early during his sailing years he explored Red Rock, a small cone shaped island off the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. He hiked the steep slope to plant a memorial cypress tree near the top. Every summer he made a pilgrimage with friends and family to water the tree to keep it alive for its destiny-to have his ashes scattered under it. Here he lies where he long'd to be; Home is the sailor, home from the sea, And the hiker home from the hill. Adapted from "Requiem" by Robert Louis Stevenson
  Person ID	I1873	Our Family
  Last Modified	29 Nov 2016

  
  

  Father	Francis Malcolm Sowers,   b. 24 Aug 1881, Atlanta, Indiana ,   d. 10 Jul 1968, Seatle, Washington  (Age 86 years)
  Mother	Phyllis Ayer,   b. 5 May 1893, Brooklyn, New York ,   d. 5 Jul 1974, Alameda County, California  (Age 81 years)
  Married	23 Mar 1921	Christ Church, Bangkok, Siam (Thailand)
  Family ID	F158	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 24 Dec 1921 - Bangkok, Thailand Died - 2 Oct 2014 - Alameda County, California  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S8] Firsthand knowledge. [S330] Obituary. Dr. Malcolm Sowers, San Francisco Chronicle 8 Oct 2014