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Who Is Annabel Bowlen Pat Bowlen’s Wife and Who Are Her Children?

Behind every successful man, as they say, lies a loving and caring wife. Annabel Bowlen, alongside her husband Pat Bowlen, were the brains behind the success of the Denver Broncos football team of the National Football League. The fantastic couple were together for more than four decades, and their marriage was regarded as one of the most successful celebrity marriages. Though she kept a more reserved presence in the past, Annabel has assumed a more visible role since Pat Bowlen died, most notably accepting the Lombardi Trophy in the Broncos’ 2016 Super Bowl victory.

Annabel Bowlen is a Former Educator

The iconic lady is an American skater and teacher who came into the limelight following her marriage to the owner of the Denver Broncos, Pat Bowlen. Along with her husband, Bowlen is one of the managers of the Denver-based football team that has won seven AFC Championship titles and three Super Bowls. In addition to that, she is also a well-known philanthropist and a founding member of Cherish the Children Guild charity organization.

Bowlen was born Joan Annabel Spencer on November 16, 1952, in Edmonton, Canada. Her mother Joan Spencer is a retired British Secretary while her father was a pilot during the Second World War. While we know nothing much about her childhood, family, and parents, we know she grew up with her brother Richard Spencer, who is the current owner and CEO of Spencer Environmental Services. In regard to her education, she attended the University of Alberta where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in physical education.

Upon graduation, Annabel Bowlen started a job as an elementary school teacher in Canada, beginning a notable career as an educator. Being an avid skater, she went on to become a skating trainer as well, combining that with her teaching job. She later married Pat Bowlen who was a successful Canadian attorney. Some years after they were married, the couple moved to the United States and settled in Denver, Colorado in 1984. While there, they acquired the Denver Broncos football team from its former owner Edgar Kaiser Jr. in the same year.

She and Her Husband Ran the Denver Broncos for Decades

The Bowlens have seen to the affairs of the Denver Broncos football team for over thirty years. With exceptional management skills, Pat Bowlen was able to lead the team to win many titles. Pat, alongside Annabel Bowlen, took the Broncos to the next level, all while they took on other ventures, like philanthropy.

Interestingly, since her husband took over the club in 1984, they have recorded the highest winning percentage than the rest of the other teams in the NFL. Pat got inducted into the Broncos Hall of Fame in 2015. Aside from Denver Broncos, Annabel’s husband is also a co-owner of the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League and the owner of the Denver Outlaws of the Major League Lacrosse.

Annabel Bowlen’s husband stepped down from being the CEO of the Broncos after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He made this revelation in 2014, and since then, Annabel has been managing all his business ventures, including the Broncos in the absence of her husband. Also employing excellent management skills, Annabel has been able to give her best to the club knowing that her husband had devoted his whole life to building it.

The most significant public evidence of this was perhaps in 2016, three years before her husband passed away. Her increased visible presence as the franchise’s leader saw her accept the Lombardi Trophy following the defeat of the Carolina Panthers by the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.

Annabel Bowlen is Also a Philanthropist

Annabel Bowlen founded a charity organization known as Cherish the Children Guild in 1969. The organization serves as the charity arm of the Beacon Youth & Family Center. She served as their president until 2011 when she dropped her position following her husband’s ill health.

She and her husband were also members of the University of Denver Board of Trustees. With their wealth and resources, they contributed significantly to the funding of the Pat Bowlen Athletic Training Center on the school’s campus. They were also notable contributors to the Denver Boys & Girls Club, an after-school program for young people.

What To Know About Her Children

In addition to her successful philanthropic career, Annabel Bowlen and her husband Pat had a blissful and successful marital life. We don’t know the exact year they got married, but the general belief is that the couple has been together for more than four decades. In that time, they were blessed with five children – three daughters named Annabel, Brittany, and Christiana, and two sons named Patrick and John Bowlen. Also, via her husband’s first marriage to Sally Parker, she is the stepmother to two children; Beth and Amie Bowlen.

Annabel’s daughter, Brittany Bowlen, is one of her most recognizable children. She is a graduate of finance from Notre Dame and has an MBA from Duke University. Brittany is now setting herself up as the head of the Broncos organization and currently holds the role of Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. Before the role, she worked as a business analyst with the organization and has also held multiple roles in the NFL office. She was also an associate for McKinsey & Co.

However, not every child of the reputable Broncos owner has such an impressive CV. Annabel Bowlen’s son, John Bowlen, has had a few run-ins with the law. He was arrested in July 2017 for driving under the influence of alcohol. He was later sentenced to three years probation and paid a fine of $2,415. The son of the famous owner was also ordered to complete a DUI education program. Before the arrest, he got arrested in June 2015 for domestic violence.

Annabel Also Has Alzheimer’s Disease

The love story of Annabel Bowlen and the late Pat Bowlen is said to be one where the couple went through everything together. That includes their health. Her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014, and Annabel has the same disease.

Four years after her husband confirmed his diagnosis, she announced that she was suffering from the same illness. While it was disappointing news, it is worth noting that her husband lived for five more years after his diagnosis. He subsequently passed away from a pulmonary embolism.