Antonia Ban-eg Fowler, aka Toni, age 86, passed away peacefully at home in Springdale, Arkansas on January 18, 2023, following an extraordinarily adventurous life. Toni is survived by her husband of 40 years James Fowler; daughter, Carol Altom (Alan); son, Pete Argao (Molly Vigour); five grandchildren; sister, Virginia Hulse (Dave); nieces, Agnes Dailey Barrera and Hortense Miller and many many other family members. She was preceded in death by her first husband of 10 years, Pete Ragpala Argao; seven brothers and sisters.

Toni was born on March 19, 1936, in Pingad, Sabangan, Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines to Arsenio "Ban-eg" Yaya and Genita Guduen. As a child she survived the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II by hiding in caves with her siblings. She worked in the rice fields and sold goods as a young woman to help earn money for her large family of brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. At age 33 she arrived in the US with a small handbag containing a neckerchief, a prayer book, and one dollar. For many years she worked for the Kaiser Permanente hospital system in Southern California. She proudly passed her US citizenship test in 1988.

Through her example of hard work and grit her daughter graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and her son graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In her late 50's she learned to rollerblade, oil paint, and play the piano. Her paintings of lighthouses, colorful roosters, and landscapes grace the walls of family and friends. Of all her many talents, the most incredible was propagating plants and creating lush flower gardens in each home she lived in and some she visited! She had a knack for collecting cuttings and getting them to flourish with minimal attention: roses in Southern California; citrus trees in Florida; vines and flowering plants in South Carolina and Northwest Arkansas. Her blessings in life exploded when she became a grandmother to Walker, Drew, Luke, Thomas, and Adele.

The adventures continued when, in her 80's, she hit the Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans to catch beads with the grandchildren. With the help of friends, she made along the uptown parade route, she would bring home 400 pounds of beads in one trip. She bestowed them to strangers she met in stores and restaurants in Arkansas. The laughter and joy she brought to random situations was always exciting.