"Pompton Lakes lost its most recognizable citizen when Roger Bowne died at 68. Roger Bowne was a well-known cross-dresser in his hometown of Pompton Lakes.
Roger Bowne was a well-known cross-dresser in his hometown of Pompton Lakes. Mr. Bowne held no office. He ran no business. His name never appeared in the local paper. He kept to himself. What he did was parade around in women’s clothing. He liked miniskirts. The shorter the better. Mr. Bowne cross-dressed in public for 30 years.
Had he lived in a bustling city, few would have thought twice about him. But when you are a 6-foot-3 man and show leg while strolling Wanaque Avenue past the diner and the store that sells bagpipes; or while trudging out of the A&P; or while flipping through a magazine at the library, people tend to notice.
“Go up to anybody in Pompton Lakes and say ‘Roger,’ ” said Garry Luciani, a retired teacher and coach at the high school. “They’ll know who you’re talking about.”
“He was an icon walking up and down the street all these years,” said crossing guard Carol Brautigan, who, when her children were young, had to answer the question: Mommy, why is that man wearing a dress?
“We told them Roger had a family but was a little different, and they kind of understood.”What's even more amazing about Roger and his story is he made the pages of his local paper when he passed- which evidently he was not concerned about during his life. Which makes his story all the more relevant to us all.
"Mr. Bowne’s legend peaked in 2009 when the magazine Weird N.J. featured him in a “Local Heroes” photo spread. He posed beaming in a shiny pink skirt and black top, accented by a hot-pink belt, matching scarf and bracelets. His pumps were blue. His shoulder-length hair shimmered. Pompton Lakes, a working-class town of 11,000, mostly accepted Mr. Bowne, who was a mystery in some ways. His last name wasn’t common knowledge. Nor was the fact that he was a father and a grandfather, or that he had worked as machinist."
RIP Roger! Hope you were buried in your shortest most favorite mini skirt and a smile on your face that someone else was doing your make up! Go here for more.
