(LA JUNTA, Colo.) — Bob Fowler sits at his kitchen table at his La Junta home, a picture on a computer screen in front of him. “My boy, my son-in-law, and me. We ran together,” he says. Recounting moments before a race over a decade ago.

By all means, that day in 2013 should have been Fowler’s last. It was the Boulder-Boulder 10K.

Fowler had been a runner for years, normally donning unique race day apparel. “You make people laugh,” he said reflecting over a photo of one of his unique outfits.

During the Boulder-Boulder, just under the nine-kilometer sign, Fowler suffered a widow maker. For 23 minutes, he has no heartbeat.

“We go from nothing to a little bit of atrial fib. And at that point, I start to wake up. There’s a lot of no pure medical, you know, I mean, explanation for it is truly a medical miracle. I just think God had more plans for me to come back.”

Married for 48 years, Fowler and his wife have raised four kids. “I think I’ve had just a wonderful life. I mean, I’m just so blessed. And of course, I have a great family.”

Fowler’s roots in La Junta run deep; he notes that his family has been here since around the 1870’s. Fowler has been a pharmacist in the area since the 1970s, he knew early on that this was the line of work he wanted to enter into.

In 1979, he’d be elected coroner. Now, he’s the longest-serving coroner in the state. “It’s really important to me that I get to take care of families and get them through a really rough time in their life.”

Fowler, who recently retired from his job as a pharmacist, volunteers at the local fire department and at the nearby art museum. He also travels, telling his story of survival and faith. “I’ve done everything,” he said.

A man of science and faith. Fowler, who is now in his mid-seventies, plans to continue serving his community. “I’m not done yet. I’m hoping to have another 20 or 25 years to do all the things I want to do because I have so many things in my brain that I’m just not done with yet.”