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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:15.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:31.5pt;font-family:"PT Sans Narrow";color:#333333'>RALPH P. COWLEY JR.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><a href="http://www.theitem.com/uploads/original/20180516-212025-0517_CowleyRalphOBI_72823.jpg" target=new><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"PT Sans";color:#231F20;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=258 height=318 style='width:2.6875in;height:3.3125in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D3EDC3.20CF52A0" alt=COWLEY></span></a><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"PT Sans";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"PT Sans";color:#333333'>COWLEY <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"PT Sans";color:#333333'>Posted </span></b><b><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"PT Sans";color:#333333'>Thursday, May 17, 2018 6:00 am</span></b><b><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"PT Sans";color:#333333'> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"PT Sans";color:#333333'>Ralph P. Cowley Jr., age 95, died on Tuesday, May 15 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"PT Sans";color:#333333'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:#333333'>He was born on Sept. 28, 1922, in West Orange, New Jersey, a son of the late Ralph P. Cowley Sr. and Gladys Bleakley. Ralph served in the Army Air Corps' 351st Bomb Group in Polebrook, England, during World War II. He moved to Sumter in 1965 as part of the initial leadership team establishing Exide Battery, where he served as the plant production control manager. Legally blind since 1955 and eventually fully blind, Ralph had a passion for improving the lives of the blind and sight impaired, serving as past president of the National Federation of the Blind, Sumter Chapter. Ralph was an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Sumter. His extensive volunteer service included the Boy Scouts of America, Elks Lodge, the American Legion and Tuomey Hospice.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:#333333'>Surviving are one son, retired U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer-5 Doug Cowley and his wife, Maribel Cruz Cowley; granddaughters, Celina, Kayla and Marisa Cowley of Cape Carteret, North Carolina, and Dawn Cowley of Marysville, California; and one brother, Robert Cowley of West Orange.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:#333333'>He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Carolyn Boykin Cowley; and two brothers, Earl and Raymond Cowley of West Orange.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:#333333'>Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Bullock Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Nick Cheek officiating. Burial will follow at Evergreen Memorial Park.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:#333333'>The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday at Bullock Funeral Home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:#333333'>In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Federation of the Blind, Sumter Chapter, P.O. Box 641, Sumter, SC 29151.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:#333333'>You may go to www.bullockfuneralhome.com and sign the family's guest book.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:#333333'>The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home for the arrangements<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>