Heidi Bowie, equestrian who was previously married to Sam Bowie, dies at 64

Funeral services were held Friday in Lexington for Heidi Lape Bowie, an equestrian and the former wife of NBA and University of Kentucky men’s basketball player Sam Bowie. Friday would have been her 65th birthday.

Bowie, 64, died April 12, her obituary from Milward Funeral Directors said.

“Throughout her childhood and adolescence, Heidi was known as a triple threat amongst peers: the prettiest, the smartest, the funniest. Homecoming queen, straight-A student, stellar swimmer and equestrian,” the obituary read. “She followed her father into the medical field and she followed her mother into the field of ‘most stylish mom to ever do it’. But what she truly followed both of them into was the art of making whoever was standing in front of them know that they mattered.”

Bowie earned her nursing degree from Boston University, where she transferred after two years at Penn State University.

She had worked as a labor and delivery nurse at Lexington’s Good Samaritan Hospital.

Bowie’s obituary did not include Sam Bowie, but said “she was the ultimate NBA wife — she was support, compassion, and loyalty in human form.”

She had three children.

“No one ‘mom’d’ quite like Heidi Bowie,” the obituary read. “From the moments they were born, she reminded them daily that God would see them through whatever life brought them. She taught them that no one was better than them and that they were better than no one. She was unconditional love in the flesh. She never ended a conversation or walked out the door without letting them know how much she loved them and how proud she was of them.”

As a grandmother, according to the obituary, “her favorite place in the world to be was on a couch with a newborn snoozing, draped across her chest.

“She loved Benji and Dory with her entire being and her youthful, silly energy would have them in awe and giggles. They were robbed of so much time with her but will be encouraged the rest of their lives to love and treat people the way their Goldie did.

“Throughout her life, Heidi battled addiction. She fought long and hard and packed more goodness into her healthy periods than most do in a lifetime. While this disease shaped parts of her journey, it never defined the fullness of who she was. She was so much more than her struggles — she was a loving daughter, a devoted sister, the proudest mother, a thoughtful friend, a source of kindness to anyone and everyone. She was always the first one to show up for a family member facing challenging times. Her heart was simply too big for this world.”

She was a Saddlebred and Hackney exhibitor, the American Hackney Horse Society said in a Facebook post.

“Heidi showed such horses as CH Timeless Drifter, Bold Lad, WC Heirithmatic, Callaway’s Hit Man, Kentucky County Fair Champion Heartland Triple Crown, and SJ Denmark’s Geronimo,” the post stated.

This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM.