John Rowland

1939 - 2014

John David Rowland, Sr. - SAVANNAH - John David Rowland, Sr., 75, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on December 13, 2014. He passed away at his home, in his own bed - not in a hospital, being poked and prodded, where he had spent far too much time during his nearly 10 year battle with Multiple Myeloma. He was born on August 22, 1939, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia and lived in Virginia until 1971, when he relocated to Savannah with his family. As many of you know, Virginia is for lovers, and that is definitely true as that is where he met the love of his life, Cindy, his wife of nearly 50 years. Some would call them high school sweethearts, but that's only halfway true, as Cindy was still in high school but John had graduated 3 years earlier. Cries of cradle robber were tossed about jokingly throughout the years, but John always had a witty response for those jealous naysayers. John and Cindy were married in 1965 and started a family in 1968 and were blessed with three sons, my three sons, as he affectionately referred to them. John graduated as the class valedictorian of Midway High School in 1956. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1967. He was a faithful member of the Tribe throughout the years. While Harvard is recognized as the oldest college in America (1636), John enjoyed pointing out that William and Mary (1693) was originally to have been established in 1618, which would have made William and Mary the oldest in America. However, those plans were delayed by an Indian uprising. Sour grapes...maybe, but interesting conversation nonetheless. John worked for American Cyanamid, Kemira Pigments, and Kerr-McGee from 1967 until his retirement in 2000. These various companies were all at the same facility. While the name may have changed multiple times over the years, the people he worked with remained the same for the most part. John still had many lifelong friends from work that he kept in touch with on a regular basis. John was a lifelong Ham in many senses of the word. In this particular case, he was an amateur radio enthusiast and member of several local ham radio clubs since 1976. He enjoyed their meetings and their community service projects, which provided back up communications during local parades, sporting events and natural disasters. During the great hurricane of 1979 [sic], John worked at the Savannah airport control tower to offer communication assistance to local emergency management officials and law enforcement. To his family and ham radio buddies, he will forever be remembered as the Ugly Gray Ghost and the Unorthodox Goat Grabber. If this makes no sense, ask a ham. John's greatest legacy and love was his faith. He loved Jesus and wanted to share his faith and hope with anyone he met. John was born a Baptist and died a Baptist, with stops along the way in the United Methodist Church and Church of God. Wherever he was in church, John was a leader, serving in whatever capacity asked of him. He loved singing and could always be found in the church choir, where he could always keep a watchful eye on my three sons as they misbehaved during services. John served as a Deacon at First Baptist Church of the Islands and will be sorely missed by all of his friends and loved ones in Sunday School and the Choir. He also had countless friends through his participation in the Emmaus Community and Community Bible Studies. The family would like to extend a special word of thanks to all of the doctors, nurses, and caregivers who provided excellent care to John during his treatments since 2005. In particular, the family would like to thank Dr. Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D. and Nadine Baxter, P.A. of the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy in Little Rock, AR. He considered you honorary family members. John is survived by his loving wife, Cindy, of Savannah, GA; his sons, John David, Jr. (Jay) and Cindy K. Rowland of Discovery Bay, CA, Christopher (Chris) and Kim Rowland of Savannah, GA, and Matthew (Matt) of Savannah, GA. He is loved and will be missed by his grandchildren, Anya and Jared (Discovery Bay, CA), Gabe and Ashby (Savannah, GA), and Liberty (Savannah, GA). He is also survived by brothers and sisters throughout Virginia and North Carolina: Rebecca Wilkerson, Mary Elizabeth (Libby) Watson, Frank, Barbara Thomason, and Larry. There are also many nieces and nephews - too many to name. John is pre-deceased by his parents, Leland and Laura Rowland and a brother, Leland, Jr. (Sonny) and a sister, Margaret (Teenie) Cabaniss. The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19 at Fox & Weeks Funeral Directors, Islands Chapel. A celebration of life service will be held at First Baptist Church of the Islands on Saturday, December 20 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow in Forest Lawn Memory Gardens Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Eddie Johnson, Ed Newton, Vic Jarvis, Nick Gardner, Lynn Walker, and Chuck Eaton. The family suggests any remembrances be made in his memory to First Baptist Church of the Islands 6613 Johnny Mercer Blvd. Savannah, GA 31410 or the Myeloma Institute Development Division 4301 West Markham St. # 816 Little Rock, AR 72205. Please sign our on-line guest book at www.foxandweeks.com Savannah Morning News December 16, 2014 Please sign our Obituary Guest Book at savannahnow.com/obituarie