Eli Fowler

It is with heavy hearts that we bid farewell to Eli Fowler, who departed this life on April 5th, 2023, in Amarillo, Texas. Eli was born on August 23rd, 1983, in Liberal, Kansas to Debbie Goosen and Eric Fowler. He grew up in Hooker, Oklahoma and attended Hooker High School where he was a member of the basketball and golf teams, played the trumpet in the high school band, participated in competitive speech, and acted in numerous HS theatre productions. He was also a member of the First Baptist Church of Hooker, where he was baptized on August 19, 2001. He graduated from Hooker High School with the class of 2002.
Eli had a love for cinema and a passion for acting and writing, which led him from his small hometown in Oklahoma, to the bright lights of Hollywood. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams in 2002, where he enrolled in acting classes at Playhouse West Repertory Theatre. Eli’s endless determination drove him to work multiple side jobs at various restaurants to pay the bills while he pursued his acting career. It didn’t take long before Eli started booking small modeling and acting gigs. Much to Eli’s chagrin, he appeared in a national Best Buy ad in 2005, which made it to the Sunday Oklahoman (and hundreds of other papers nationwide) and later that year he made his lead acting debut in the short film Cainarchy. The film won multiple awards including the Audience Award at the Dances with Films Festival. Then in 2006, Eli’s charisma and good nature landed him a job at Paramount Pictures, working on the film, There Will Be Blood, which was nominated for 8 Oscars including Best Picture and is widely regarded by critics as one of the best films of the 21st century. During filming and postproduction, Eli rubbed shoulders with many Hollywood elite and became a respected member of a very successful production team that subsequently worked on several commercially successful films. After There Will Be Blood wrapped in 2007, Eli went on to work for Sony Pictures, on the movie Step Brothers, which starred Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. After Step Brothers wrapped in 2008, Eli decided to take a break from the grueling hours of movie production, and instead managed television commercial distribution for TV and motion picture studios including NBC, ABC, and Universal at DG FastChannel. After a short break from movies, Eli was ready to get back into the grind of filmmaking, so in 2009 he moved to St. Louis to work for Paramount Pictures again, this time, on the film, Up in the Air, which starred George Clooney, and was nominated for 5 Oscars including Best Picture. After that movie wrapped in 2009, Eli went back to managing television commercial distribution at Extreme Reach. Working at Extreme Reach allowed Eli the flexibility he needed to work on his own film projects, and in 2010 he wrote, directed, and produced his own short film, called Jogging Through Life, which starred his cousin and dear friend Mary Brown. It premiered at the Trail Dance Film Festival in Oklahoma and was a Golden Drover Award Winner. Eli continued to hone his craft by taking writing classes in the evenings and on weekends, and working on his own scripts, and in 2011 and 2012 he wrote and directed 2 more short films, The Break Up, and You Missed It. Filmmaking wasn’t Eli’s only passion, he also loved playing basketball, and in 2011 he joined the Lambda Basketball League/LA United. The team traveled to tournaments in Las Vegas, Chicago, Cleveland, and Portland where they were champions in 2 of those tourneys. Eli frequently led the team in rebounding and was voted team captain in 2013. From the outside, Eli appeared to be thriving, but he was struggling behind closed doors. He decided to move back to Hooker in 2015 to focus on his mental health, while he continued to work on his writing and his sobriety. In 2015, he moved to Denver where his issues with addiction overwhelmed him. Then in 2022 he moved to Amarillo to attempt sobriety again with the help of his loving family.
Eli experienced the lion’s share of sorrow and tragedy in his life, which undoubtedly fueled his ongoing struggles with addiction. His family showed unwavering support and encouragement while he battled his demons these last 8 years. During this dark time, he was still quick to crack a joke about his living situation or use self-deprecating humor to make light of his lifestyle choices. Despite these struggles toward the latter part of Eli’s life, he was still beloved by those who knew him best. He had a genuine warmth and caring for others, and his presence alone could make the room erupt in laughter. With his off-center sense of humor, his clever quips, and endearing quirks, Eli will always be remembered for the joy and laughter he brought to the lives of those around him. One of Eli’s favorite authors is Cheryl Strayed who is most well-known for her NY Times Bestseller “Wild” which is one of Eli’s favorite books. She once said, “I’ll never know, and neither will you, of the life you don’t choose. We’ll only know that whatever that sister life was, it was important and beautiful and not ours. It was the ghost ship that didn’t carry us. There’s nothing to do but salute it from the shore.” Although it’s painful to think about the potential that Eli had that won’t be realized and the talent that won’t be shared, we can be comforted by the fact that Eli did “make it big” by all accounts; by having the courage to pursue his dreams, the strength to endure the tragedies of his life, and the stamina to keep going despite it all. And maybe most importantly, he laughed, and made those around him laugh. Eli was inspired by the work of Charlie Chaplin, who famously said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” and if laughter is the measure, then Eli didn’t waste a single day.
Eli is preceded in death by his adoring mother Debbie Goosen, his stepbrother Ryan Williams, his maternal grandparents Jack and Bonnie Goosen, and his beloved cat Charlie. He is survived by his father and stepmother, Eric and Dawn Fowler of Amarillo, TX; his sister, Jacque Marston, her husband Lawrence and their children Channing, Mackenzie, and Hunter of Buellton, CA; his sister Darcy Mallard, and her children Rhiannon Mallard and Eric Mallard of Guymon, OK; his sister Piper Fowler of Canyon, TX; his step-sister Tiffany DeStefano, her husband Josh DeStefano and their children Corbyn, Christian, Camdyn, Callen, and Cayson of Rock Hill, NC; his step-brother Sean Williams, his wife Jera, and their children Rhylee, Bennett, Maddox, Jaden, Jerni, Jaze, and Nova of Pampa, TX; and his paternal grandparents Bob and Leah Fowler of Hooker, OK.
Eli will be laid to rest in an intimate family burial at the Hooker Cemetery, and a celebration of life will follow at the All Purpose Room at the Hooker Elementary School on Saturday, April 22nd at 2:00 in the afternoon. The family intends that this will be a casual celebration where we will honor this beautiful soul and remember how he touched our lives…and of course there will be laughter!