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Keith Bowden 1926 – 2019

Nov 20, 2019, 23:03 PM by Sally Harrison
Longtime NCHA member Keith Bowden died at age 93

Keith Bowden 1926 – 2019

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Longtime NCHA member Keith Bowden, age 93, Holladay, Utah, passed away on Thursday, November 14, 2019. Born in Holladay on October 1, 1926 Bowden lived his entire life in Holladay. 

In 1950, Keith and his wife, Ardonna, started a successful family business boarding and training horses. An accomplished horseman and cutting competitor, Keith Bowden was one of the 10 founders of the Utah Cutting Horse Association (UCHA) and won many Open Intermountain championships in the 1960s and 1970s.

With one of the only indoor facilities available in the area, Bowden Arena attracted many clients interested in learning about the sport of cutting. Keith showed competitively throughout the intermountain west for many years and was the Utah State Open Champion many times.

The Bowdens retired in 1990 and enjoyed traveling together for many years. Ardonna passed away in 2013 and Keith independently maintained his home, while meeting friends daily for coffee, until just a few months before his death.

In addition to his wife Ardonna, Keith was preceded in death by his brothers, Bruce and Wayne; and daughter, Shauna. He is survived by sons, Corey (Kris) and Bart; 5 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

Services to honor Keith will be on Thursday, November 21, 2019, with a viewing for friends and family from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary 4760 South State Street Murray, Utah. A graveside service will be held Friday, November 22, 2019, at 12:00 p.m. at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 S. Highland Drive. For those attending services, feel free to wear Western attire, which is what Keith Bowden would have wanted.

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Keith Bowden on Nipper Red.

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