Mr Fowler will be laid to rest on Monday in a service at St Paul's Anglican Church, West Tamworth.

Born in Sussex, England, in 1943, he emigrated to Australia as an 11-year-old under tragic circumstances.

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Eric was a member of the Forgotten Children, a generation of about 150,000 unaccompanied immigrant children who grew up in often abusive institutions and other out-of-home care arrangements in Australia.

He came to Australia with the Fairbridge Farm group, landing in Sydney in 1955, before spending the next five years working on the farm at Molong, near Orange. He started the day at 4am in the dairy and regularly finished it tending to more than 2000 sheep and cattle.

After graduating, Eric married Karen nee Glanville in 1972 and in 1976 the couple moved to Tamworth, where he taught horticulture at the Tamworth TAFE college, worked in the gardens of Parry Shire Building, and at Heemskerks nursery, among other places.

The avid gardener, trained at West Ryde Horticultural college, started writing the monthly horticultural column for the Tamworth Times.

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His advice was required reading for the city's green thumbs for more than 40 years.

Eric was also a deeply religious man, coming to God after picking up a Bible during his darkest hours.

He had several breakdowns a few years after leaving Molong and spent five years in Gladesville Hospital.

By 1967 he was living in a boarding home and felt he had no future in life.

Son, Mark, a adjunct associate professor at the universities of New England and Notre Dame, said he picked up a gospel tract and fell on his knees, asking the Lord to come into his life.

"Dad wasn't sure how long he'd last, so he said to God, 'if I could follow Him for thirty days, I would trust Him forever'," he said.

"He said, 'God, has never left me nor forsaken me'.

"That was over 50 years ago."

After moving to Tamworth, Eric became a long-time member of the St. Paul's Anglican Church.

He served as a sidesman at the church for a number of years.

Eric always saw a strong connection between his faith and his love of growing.

"When I am in the garden I see the beauty of God's creation in the flowers," he said.

"Psalm 46:10 says, 'Be still and know that I am God'. I did. And He is."

Eric Fowler passed away peacefully on Saturday night at 11.20pm at Nioka, where he had worked as a volunteer chaplain for about a decade. Family and friends are invited to celebrate his life at the funeral at 10:30am on February 28.

His is survived by wife, kids and grandchildren Emelia, Isabelle, Breanna, Caitlyn and Ethan.

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