Janice Marie Rowe

Janice (Jan) Marie Rowe was born on September 23, 1947 to parents Jack Henry Day and Margaret Day in Renton, Washington. A “miracle baby” she was extremely premature and not expected to survive. Her parents wrapped her up in one of her father's kerchiefs and fed her with an eye dropper every hour. Doctors were amazed when they returned for her first checkup.

Jan graduated from Renton High School in 1965, attended Western Washington State College in Bellingham, WA where she earned degrees in Spanish Language and received her standard teaching certificate. It was there that she met her future husband William (Bill) H. Rowe.

Jan and Bill were married in 1970 and Jan began a long career in teaching. She taught at Eisenhower Middle School in Everett, WA for over 15 years and went on to teach Social Studies and Spanish at Lakeside Middle School in Seattle, WA from 1987 to 2002. In her last three years at Lakeside, she also served as Head of the Middle School History Department. When she perceived a call to ministry, she left Lakeside to follow her calling. In 2005, she received her Masters of Divinity at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO. Jan then returned to Seattle to serve the following churches: Renton: Kennydale UMC; Seattle: Seaview UMC & Tongan Fellowship; Seattle: Green Lake UMC; Renton: First UMC; Seattle: Skyway UMC, and Des Moines UMC. She also worked in service to Shoreline: Ronald UMC for five years. She officially retired in 2019.

Jan’s husband, Bill, predeceased her in 1997 She is survived by their three daughters, Meredith Lynn Rowe, Lindsay Erin Rowe (George Watters), and Mackenzie Lael Rowe. She loved nothing more than spending time with her three grandchildren, Chauncey, Odessa, and Leilani. She also leaves behind a brother and 3 sisters who will miss her dearly.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers gifts be given to the National Leiomyosarcoma Foundation (https://nlmsf.org/), an organization Jan was pleased to support.

A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, June 12, 2022 at 1:00 PM at Des Moines United Methodist Church, 22225 9th Ave S., Des Moines, WA 98198, followed by a reception at the church.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared below for the Rowe family.