Spotlight on Tammy Bowen

Tammy Gross was born in Lyman, WY and was raised with her two brothers on the family ranch. Her paternal great-great-grandparents, originally from Germany, came across the plains with a cart pulled by two oxen and homesteaded the ranch. Some of Tammy’s memories of life on the ranch include riding horses and tractors, and running through the hayfields to her grandparents’ home ½ mile away.

Although her immediate family was not active in the Church, Tammy’s grandma on her dad’s side of the family was an active member. Tammy was baptized at age 10 or 11 and remembers attending Mutual with friends.

Having chosen to pursue a career in nursing, Tammy attended Weber State University in Ogden, UT. She attended classes with the sister of her future husband, Tan Bowen. During summer breaks she worked as an ambulance attendant and, over time, decided that emergency nursing would be her focus. After graduation, Tammy worked in ER’s in Salt Lake and in Houston, TX. Not caring much for Texas, she returned to Salt Lake and her relationship with Tan was rekindled.

Tammy accepted a job offer at Kalispell Regional Medical Center and began working there in April 1983. She had only planned on working there for six months or so, but Tan fell in love with the area when he helped her move from Utah and eventually they decided to settle here. They were married in Utah in June 1983 and returned to Kalispell where they have lived since then. They have two sons: Austin, born October 17, 1992, and Marshall, born November 9, 1998.

After working at KRMC for a short while, Tammy decided to become a flight nurse on the Alert Helicopter. During her first mission (flight) she realized that Montana did not have paramedics and that she was pretty much responsible for all patient care. She had decided that first flight was enough for her, but she hung in there and totaled 679 missions during her 13-year stint as a flight nurse! When Austin was 1 ½, Tammy decided that the twelve hour shifts and working on week-ends and holidays no longer suited their lifestyle. She began working for Corvel as a case manager for catastrophic workers comp. injuries. In 1999 she began working for Montana State Workers Comp and for the last three years Tammy has been in charge of medical case management for juvenile and adult offenders in the Flathead County Jail.

Along with her current calling as Relief Society teacher (just released from Young Women), Tammy also teaches a nursing class at FVCC. Between her job, her calling, teaching at the college and keeping up with their two busy boys, Tammy has little spare time. When she does have a few minutes to spare, she loves cooking, canning and reading. Shopping is another favorite activity, but she has also learned to love camping, fishing and hunting with Tan and the boys.

If Tammy could travel anywhere in the world, it would be to Torino, Italy to see the homeland of her maternal ancestors.