Dr. Arthur Gaillard Gower iii

Dr. Arthur Gaillard Gower III passed away peacefully and was accepted into his Heavenly Father’s loving arms on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21, 2026, at Heritage Hall in Front Royal. Dr. Gower was born on April 6, 1933, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the late Anna Elizabeth Harris Gower and Arthur Gaillard Gower II. Dr. Art Gower was also preceded in death by his 5-year-old sister Anne Gower who died from strep throat. Her passing was part of the reason Art decided to become a doctor. A funeral service will be held at Manassas Baptist Church likely mid-July (8800 Sudley Road, Manassas, Virginia 20110 – www.mbcnova.org) after plans are made through Pierce Funeral Home (9609 Center Street, Manassas, Virginia 20110, www.piercefh.com). Dr. Art Gower is survived by his beloved wife Gwen (married July 4, 1959) and his three children Arthur Gaillard Gower IV (wife Mary, children Thomas, Lauren, Daniel), Kathryn Ann Gower Truax (husband Scott, children Hanna, Holden), and John Calvin Gower (wife Patricia, children AnnaSophia, Emerson), all of whom were able to recently visit with him. Dr. Gower also received visits from his beloved Manassas church family and friends. His family would like to send special thanks to the staff at Heritage Hall who were so caring and compassionate with Dr. Gower and those who loved him. Dr. Gower’s life of 93 years was a life well lived. His consistent advice to others was to “take Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.” He passionately attended church weekly, taught Sunday School monthly, and participated in mission trips to Panama, Mexico, and Africa. Art and Gwen met at Citadel Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where he completed his medical internship at the U.S. Naval Hospital there (after completing his education at Clemson College [the all-male military institution renamed Clemson University in 1964], University of Virginia School of Medicine, and his pediatric residency at the Medical University of South Carolina). Dr. Gower’s medical knowledge and caring spirit led him to make house calls early in his practice with Dr. Alvin Conner, provide free physicals for Boy Scouts going off to camp, serve as a Manassas school board member for one term, and serve as the President of Prince William Hospital for two terms. After working full time well into his 70’s as a Pediatrician, Art and Gwen moved to their weekend retreat, the Mountain House on High Knob in Front Royal. Dr. Gower very much enjoyed his “lazy living” in the mountains with his wife by his side, deer and fawns in the yard, and the most gorgeous sunsets you’ve ever seen.

Dr. Arthur Gaillard Gower iii

April 6, 1933 - June 21, 2026