Barbara Ann (Tarpley) Rowan

Barbara Ann Tarpley Rowan passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 5, 2020, in Seattle, Washington, at age 89. She was born January 16, 1930, in Danville, Virginia, to Philip Arden Tarpley and Winnie Mae Childress Tarpley. Ann, as she was known, grew up on a farm in rural Virginia, along with her 7 sisters. She attended the Sharon Baptist Church every Sunday with her mother and sisters, where she prayed, listened to sermons, and sang old Baptist hymns. She continued to recognize and hum along with those hymns in her last years. Ann graduated from Whitmell High School in 1947, and completed her nurse’s training, earning the degree of RN (Registered Nurse), at the School of Nursing of the Memorial Hospital in Danville, Virginia, in 1951.

During her time as a nurse, Ann worked in Grundy, Virginia, which in those days meant traveling the coalfields and steep woods of the Appalachian Mountains to help deliver babies and care for sick and injured people, including children with polio. Injuries seen in Grundy included crushed bones, burns, paralysis, and limb amputations due to mining explosions and mining accidents. She also worked in a tuberculosis ward in Baltimore, Maryland, caring for very ill patients for many hours, day after day. Ann believed that the gentle, loving care and encouragement from a nurse was essential to the healing process. She was a member of the The School of Nursing Alumni Association. She was devoted to serving others and always did more than her part to comfort and bring optimism and affection to those in need. Her all-time hope was to “do good.”

In a military ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland, Ann married Paul Leslie Rowan, MD, in July, 1954, after which they moved to Seattle, Washington and started their family. Throughout her life, she enjoyed reading, listening to music, baking her famous pecan pie, tending to her garden, sewing clothes for her daughter, and corresponding with family and friends - keeping her close to her Virginia roots. Later in life, Ann became interested in learning about her family history and found out she was a direct descendent of several Revolutionary soldiers. She was proud to be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Ann was preceded in death by her husband of 43 years, Paul Leslie Rowan; parents, Philip Arden Tarpley and Winnie Mae Childress Tarpley; and sisters, Lena Mae Tarpley Stowe, Marion Marie Tarpley Van Alst, Mary Louise Tarpley Rickets, Bernice Wells Tarpley Kent, and Frances Leftwich Tarpley Shelton.

Ann is survived by her daughter Marla Rowan Veliz (Jose) and grandchildren Jose Guadalupe Veliz and Olisavia Ann Veliz; son Paul Arden Rowan (Deborah) and grandchildren Andrew Tyler Rowan and Daniel Arden Rowan; sisters, Dorothy Pritchett Tarpley McNeely of New Bern, NC, and Phyllis Arden Tarpley Zinna of Vista, CA; nieces Karleen and Lisa Junglov of Seattle; and many nephews, nieces, great-nephews, and great-nieces around the country.

There is no service scheduled at this time. Donations may be made to one of Ann’s favorite charities: Pine Mountain Settlement School, 36 Highway 510, Bledsoe, KY 40810; Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, P.O. Box 202, Seattle, WA 98111-0202; or the charity of one’s choice.