A softball tournament brings Eupora citizens out to compete and remember a late city worker

People in Eupora hosted a softball tournament in honor of a city employee they lost earlier this year

EUPORA, Miss. (WCBI)- Forming relationships with neighbors and citizens is the glue that holds everyone together; especially in small towns.

People in Eupora hosted a softball tournament in honor of a city employee they lost earlier this year.  As teams lined up at the plate or got ready to take the field they had a special person in mind; Rusty Bowen. He worked for Eupora’s maintenance department, did upkeep on the city park up, and owned rental properties. Bowen died on March 13, 2021, in a lawnmower accident.

Eupora mayor, Blake Mcmullan, said Bowen made an impact on the town, but one moment, in particular, stood out.

“The thing that Rusty made an impact was he began church league softball six years ago and it has just been an asset for the city,” said mayor Mcmullan.

Six teams played in the softball tournament to see who would claim the first Bowen Memorial Softball trophy. City leaders said the legacy of Bowen won’t be forgotten.

“He was out here cutting grass every day of the week. He loved this ballpark and the kids of this community,” said mayor Mcmullan.

“I think that it’s awesome that the city of Eupora is doing this Rusty Bowen memorial tournament. Rusty was a big supporter of athletics here in Eupora, especially for our travel softball team. I think he’d be really proud of how things turned out this summer even though we had to deal with the tragedy I think Rusty would be proud of where we’re at now,” said resident Clint Hester.

The tournament is expected to become an annual event in the town.