With the recent passing of beloved math teacher, Dan Bowler, the BSM community came together to honor his legacy.

Bowler started his teaching career at BSM in 1984 after graduating from St. John’s University. Having taught a variety of levels including Algebra II, Calculus AB, and Calculus BC, Bowler was known for his dedication to teaching math. Along with serving as the department chair for six years, Bowler coached baseball, softball, basketball, and the Math League. “He was so involved in the school too; doing scoreboards for games, knowing who was in what shows and knowing who did what in a game the night before, just keeping track of all the accomplishments that kids had,” math teacher Joanie Sauer said.

Bowler touched the lives of many through his wisdom and supportiveness, and the BSM community was greatly affected by the news. To express the gratitude that BSM feels towards him, math teacher John Groess came up with the idea to hang ‘prayer flags’ in the main hallway.

In 1988, Bowler left for Nepal to join the Peace Corps. It was a very meaningful experience to him, and one that came with many stories shared to colleagues and students. The Tibetan prayer flags are colorful rectangular cloths hung along trails in the Himalayas, where Bowler spent four years. To honor that time in Nepal and pay their respects to Bowler, students from every math class wrote a prayer, mantra, or a message of peace. “The idea is that the wind blows through the prayer flags, and then those messages get carried out into the world to whomever needs to hear it,” math teacher Mary Seppala said.

Along with the prayer flags, Bowler was honored at the closing mass on Wednesday, May 25th. His family was in attendance to witness the sense of community that BSM exhibits in times of need. Mike Jeremiah, campus minister, offered a special intention for him and his family, that they will find strength and peace in this time of mourning.

Bowler’s legacy will no doubt live on at BSM. Through his dedication to teaching, supporting colleagues, and compassion and understanding, he will be greatly missed. “BSM was his second home and he was so involved and cared so much,” Seppala said.

Read his obituary here: https://m.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000426833/?fullname=daniel-mark-bowler