William Martin Rowden Jr.'s Obituary
Mr. William Martin Rowden, Jr., 61, resident of Gainesville, Florida, died Monday, October 26, 2015 at his home.
Mr. Rowden was born on October 15, 1954 in East Chicago, Indiana to William Martin, Sr., and to the late Gertrude Rowden. After graduating from Whiting High School, he joined the U. S. Army, and then began a long career as a Line Operator with the Unilever Corporation in Hammond, Indiana. He moved with his family to Gainesville, Florida in 1997, and worked for many years as a contractor and working as a courier for Blue Streak Couriers. He enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his granddaughter Lexi and with his sons. Marty loved his dogs, riding his Harley, watching football, a diehard thick or thin Chicago Bears fan and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was a member of Gator Amps: an amputee support group. His spirit of adventure had him recently rock climbing for the first time, and he was a man that liked a glass or two of Scotch, even though the Scotch didn’t always like him.
He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Barbara Rowden; sons, William Martin Rowden, III, Timothy James Rowden and Daniel Scott Rowden; his father William Martin “Bill” and his wife June Rowden, Sr.; Granddaughter, Alexis Elisabeth Rowden; brother, Michael James Rowden; sisters, Carol (Russ) Walker and Sandra Lee Spencer.
A memorial service with military honors will be held on Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 2:00 P. M., in the Chapel of WILLIAMS-THOMAS FUNERAL HOME WESTAREA, 823 NW 143rd Street. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations in his honor be made to Amputee Coalition of Florida, 900 East Hill Avenue, Suite 290 Knoxville, TN 37915 or to Hospice of North Central Florida, 4200 NW 90th Blvd., Gainesville, FL 32606.
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