Carla Bowman; Instructor

Carla Jeanne Bowman, an instructor of biology and other life sciences at Los Angeles Mission College, has died. She was 60.

A resident of Northridge, Mrs. Bowman died Monday of heart failure in San Diego where she was attending a work-related conference, said her son, Gregory Bowman, of Northridge.

Mrs. Bowman was born in Long Beach and came to the San Fernando Valley as a child, where, according to her son, she spent the rest of her life. Following high school, she attended Mount Saint Mary’s College on a science scholarship.

She finished her undergraduate work at Cal State Northridge, receiving a bachelor’s degree in biology in the early 1960s. She returned to CSUN as a graduate student soon after, receiving a master’s degree in 1965.

Following college, Mrs. Bowman began a career teaching biology at CSUN, where she remained from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. In 1976, she moved to Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar, where she taught courses in biology and microbiology.

In later years, Mrs. Bowman became chair of the college’s math and science departments. She also served as adviser to the college’s pre-nursing program.

With her husband, Henry C. Bowman, Mrs. Bowman was an avid collector of early 1900s glass and antiques. The couple has also been active in their church, Our Lady of Peace, in North Hills. The Bowmans celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary Sunday.

In addition to her son Greg, she is survived by two other sons, Robert Bowman of Sherman Oaks and Matthew Bowman of Hamilton, Mont.; two daughters, Donna Bowman of Van Nuys and Monica Costello of Simi Valley; and two grandchildren.

A rosary will be held at 6:30 p.m. tonight at J. T. Oswald Mortuary, 1001 N. Maclay Ave., San Fernando. A funeral will follow Friday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Ferdinand’s Catholic Church, 1109 Coronel St., San Fernando.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Carla Bowman Scholarship Fund in care of Gwen Walker at Los Angeles Mission College, 13356 Eldridge Ave., Sylmar, 91342-3244.