Eleanor "Lee" Edwardson Rowan

February 18, 1924 - July 12, 2023

Lee Rowan, 99, passed peacefully the evening of July 12, 2023 in Concord, New Hampshire. She was born February 18, 1924 to David and Claire Edwardson in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

Lee was the most loving and cherished mother to three children. She is survived by a son, Robert Dorste, daughter, Sarah Dorste, daughter-in-law Pamela Dorste, granddaughters Claire and Anna Dorste, and grandson William Dorste. She is also survived by her step-daughter Ginny Rowan Smith, son-in-law Manning J. Smith, and their children Rowan Watson and Manning Smith IV. She has been reunited with her youngest son, Craig, and her loving husband Henry M. Rowan.

She and her sister, Mildred, were the first sisters to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1947, both with degrees in architecture. After the birth of her three children with her then husband, Tom Dorste, Lee focused on interior design with the firm Richardson, Munson and Weir. She contributed to the design of the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, amongst many other special projects. The least among them was her own home, her unique, modern, and timeless eye for design and fashion famous amongst her family and friends. She will be remembered for her effortless elegance.

Lee and her family spent summers on Lake George, where she met her husband Henry M. Rowan. They were generous philanthropists and supporters of education. She will be honored and remembered through the Lee Rowan School of Power Plant Technology at Williamson College of the Trades in Middleton Township, Pennsylvania.

Lee will also be remembered for her wit, her intelligence, and her famous wink. Her sense of humor was accompanied by an infectious laugh, and she always had something chocolate at arms length.

The family would also like to extend their gratitude to The Birches at Concord, who took such good care of Lee.

Information about services and a celebration of life will be forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Lee’s name to a charity focused on education and educational access local to you.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.bennettfuneral.com for the Rowan family.