Rita M. Bowling, the first woman elected to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors who went on to serve four terms, has died. She was 76.
Bowling served as District 3 supervisor from 1986 to 2002, when she retired and was succeeded by Pat Loe.
Bowling, a longtime Hollister resident, died in late March.
Prior to her political career, Bowling worked as an insurance broker and then owned her own business, Rita Bowling Insurance. She was also the first female foreman of the San Benito County Grand Jury before her political career started.
As a county supervisor, Bowling developed her reputation as a straight-talking communicator who was tight with spending and an advocate for slow growth.
According to her obituary, she was born in Rouyn Quebec, Canada and migrated to Hollister with her family at age 10. She attended Sacred Heart Catholic School and San Benito High School.
See more on Bowling’s life here and in next week’s Free Lance.
