By Dani Blackburn

Sometimes difficult roads can lead to beautiful destinations, and thus is the story of Harold and Cindy Bowles. Despite multiple surgeries, including three organ transplants, the pair has been able to turn the gift of life that healed a very sick Harold into inspiration for creating precious memories for others.

A Love Story

Harold and Cindy Bowles met and married as high school sweethearts. Harold had grown up one of eight children, including four boys and four girls, in the small town of Era. Cindy grew up in Sanger, the daughter of a firefighter. After her brother was drafted during the Vietnam War, she became her father’s roping buddy. The father-daughter duo even hit a few jackpots along the way. The pair first met when Harold stopped by one day to purchase a trailer from Cindy’s father. She made quite the impression on the young Harold, but Cindy was oblivious. As fate would have it, Harold began working as a cook just a short time later at a local restaurant, where Cindy just happened to also work.

“The very first time I saw him other than when he had come by to look at the horse trailer, he was at the restaurant, bent over back in the kitchen. He had his name on the back of his belt. That was popular then,” Cindy said. “I said, ‘Hey Harold.’ He raised up and said hello and asked how I knew his name. I told him he was wearing it on the back of his belt, and we both had a laugh.”

The pair began spending time together after the restaurant closed, sitting and talking on the tailgate of his pickup in the parking lot. Before long they were dating and soon had fallen head over heels in love. One evening at the Forestburg Rodeo, with their song “Silver Wings” playing, Harold proposed to her. It was an easy yes from Cindy.

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