Born in Dillon, South Carolina, on January 14, 1928 to Paul Evans Rowell and Ethel Mae Rowell, she was the oldest of four children. Throughout High School in Dillon, Mona made her mark on the basketball court and developed a love of basketball that remained with her throughout her life. She loved ACC basketball and cheering for her UNC Tarheels. Mona and her siblings enjoyed spending their summers at the beach where she could be found jitterbugging on the boardwalk. She was a fabulous dancer and always the first one on the dance floor.
Mona moved to Winston-Salem and her first night there met the love of her life. Bill was a medical student at Bowman Gray and they began a courtship. Their time in Winston-Salem was filled with dinner parties, football games, and friendships that would last a lifetime. Bill and Mona married on Valentine’s Day at White Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleigh and then made their move to High Point where he set up his medical practice. They raised four children and were active in the High Point community.
Mona was a member of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church where she taught Sunday school, attended Church circle, and made sure her family was in attendance every Sunday. She was a member of the High Point Medical Auxiliary, serving as president, the High Point and Raleigh Junior League, Garden and Investment Clubs, and many other organizations dear to her heart. She and Bill enjoyed playing bridge, traveling, and their time spent at Holden Beach and Belleair, Florida. She was an elegant entertainer and known for her annual Christmas Open House.
Her greatest love, however, was her grandchildren. Her eyes danced whenever she spent time with them. She will forever be remembered for her Christmas Eve Dinners, her elegant sense of style, her famous fried chicken and potato salad, her perfect manicures, her lipstick (which she always wore), and her infectious sense of humor.
She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. William Blanton Donald, Jr., her brother, Paul Evans Rowell, Jr., and her sister, Annie Lee Jones. She leaves behind her brother, Edsol Hamilton Rowell of Wilmington, her cherished children, Martha Webster (Frank), Bill, Mona Barbour (Ray), and Amy Buckthal (Jim). Her grandchildren, Brooke Saintsing (David), Lindsay Jones (Kody), Tessa Hunter (Kip), Erin Jones (Jared), Wills Barbour (Rebecca), Charlotte Watters (Andrew), Forrest Buckthal, and Anna Carson Bristow (Peter). Additionally, Mona was blessed with 12 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
We would like to thank the staff at Hillside Skilled Nursing for their exceptional and loving care. We would also like to thank Brenda Williams for her devoted love, friendship, and care for the past 24 years.
There will be a private service per Mona’s request at White Memorial Presbyterian Church.
Arrangements by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh.
SHARE OBITUARYSHARE
v.1.13.0