MARY CARLONE Obituary

CARLONE
MARY LUCILLE (MAHON) CARLONE
March 5, 1930 - January 17, 2018
Mary Lucille Mahon Carlone was born on March 5, 1930 to Lucille and Frank Mahon in Evanston, Illinois. She passed away peacefully into eternal peace on January 17, 2018. Mary lived in the Midwest growing up and graduated in 1947 from the Pinebrook School for Girls in Glen Arbor, Michigan. She attended Albion College and graduated from Michigan State University in 1951 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and a minor in English. She was a member of the AXO sorority.
In 1952, she married General Wendell ("Bow") Bowman (USAF), a widower with two children: Janet (age 7) and Timothy (age 5). Their first year of married life was in Arlington, VA, and then onto Air Force assignments in Albuquerque, NM, Grand View, MO and Anchorage, AK, where General Bowman served as Commander of the Alaskan Air Command. Mary was very busy with her new military life and her new ready-made family. During their two-year assignment in Anchorage, Mary enjoyed skiing at every opportunity and entertaining dignitaries who visited Alaska for the great salmon fishing. General Bowman retired in 1964, at which time they moved to Denver.
During several of their military assignments, Mary was actively engaged in acting, modeling and teaching etiquette and poise to young women. She had principal acting roles in the Albuquerque Little Theater (noted for being the first "Little Theater" in the country), playing the ingenue lead role opposite famous Hollywood character actor Edward Everett Horton, as well as "the girl" in the Seven Year Itch. She trained professionally for a modeling career at the Patricia Stevens Modeling School in Denver and was featured in a number of television commercials and print ads. She was also a Girl Scout and Brownie leader and always enjoyed working with young girls.
In 1970, Mary and General Bowman moved to Colorado Springs. Mary started an interior design business known as "Distinctive Design" with an old friend. She also wrote the fashion column for the Colorado Springs Sun and ultimately became the Society Editor for the newspaper. Mary tutored for the "Ready to Read" program at the Pikes Peak Library, and engaged in other community-based projects for more than 25 years. In 2004, she received the Tutor of the Year Award from the Pikes Peak Library. Mary enjoyed it all, but her favorite activity was volunteering and teaching English to adults, which she did for many years.
In December 1983, she married Col. Robert "Bob" Carlone (USAF). Bob had two daughters: Melanie and Leeza, who were also an important part of Mary's life. The Carlones were quite active in the Colorado Springs community. They supported and were actively involved in the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Rotary International, and The Homefront Cares, among other organizations. Mary was a longtime member of the Garden of the Gods Club, the Broadmoor Community Church, the Opera Guild, and the Fine Arts Center. The couple enjoyed a rewarding life together - entertaining their friends, visiting with family, traveling all over the world, dancing at the Broadmoor, and walking their three wonderful small, white dogs: Cuffie, Lady, and Lucky.
Mary's mother, a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, instilled in her a love of the fine arts - often visiting the Detroit Museum of Art and attending traveling Broadway shows. At various stages of her life, she was active in the docent program at the Kansas City Art Museum, the Denver Art Museum and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Mary was blessed to travel to Europe and Southeast Asia, where she furthered her interest in fine art.
During her final years at the Brookdale Skyline retirement community, Mary organized and managed various projects, including a fashion show which became a yearly event, along with dog shows and other entertainment for the residents.
Mary was preceded in death by her first husband, Wendell Bowman; her second husband, Robert Carlone; sister, Virginia Gould; and daughter, Janet Bowman Sparks. She is survived by her son, Timothy Bowman; grandchildren, Steve Sparks, Sarah Suppe, Nancy Sparks, and Abram Bowman; and great-grandchildren, Jacob Sparks, Ryan Suppe and Jackson Bowman.
Services will be private.