Obituary for
Donald William Rowe
Donald W. Rowe passed away on January 17th, 2017 at the VNA Hospice House in Vero Beach, Florida from a brain injury resulting from a fall. Don was born in Yonkers, N.Y. on July 31, 1940 the second son of Harry and Agnes Rowe. He graduated from Gorton High School and Manhattan College and completed graduate studies at Columbia University and NYU. He had a long and fulfilling career teaching English and directing theater at colleges and Universities in Ohio, Maine, and Vermont.
His lifelong passion was all aspects of the theater including directing, acting, and attending. He directed over 60 college and community productions and starred in some of his favorite plays including Hamlet, Equus, Macbeth, King Lear, Coriolanus. He taught English and directed theater at Champlain College in Burlington, VT for over two decades and inspired countless young people in the love and craft of acting and theater. During his tenure at Champlain College he produced original adaptations of East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. He also directed community theater at the Unadilla Theater, the Vermont Repertory Theater, the Stowe Theater Guild and the Shelburne Players. He attended the Stratford, Ontario Theater Festival over 30 consecutive years and was a season ticket holder for local theater groups wherever he lived. Few people loved or had greater knowledge of theater than Don.
His passion for theater was almost equaled by his love of movies. He had encyclopedic knowledge of directors, actors, and productions and shared his infectious passion with friends and family. His home is a library of books, CDs, and recordings of his favorite theater and movie productions.
Don is survived and forever loved by his four siblings, David Rowe and his wife Ellen, Frances Rowe, Susan Rowe and her husband Ib, and Will Rowe and his wife Theresa—all who live in Vero Beach, Florida. Donald was an inspiring uncle to his nieces Alison, Amy, and Alyssa and his nephew Chris and their families. He also showed interest and caring to his step-niece and step nephew, Carol Cowan and Chris Jones. He always zeroed in on the happenings of the young lives in the family.
The family will organize a family and friend memory event in Vero Beach, Florida. To honor Don’s life, people are invited to make a contribution to the Shelburne Players, 274 Hullcrest Rd, Shelburne, VT 05482.
“We are time’s subjects, and time bids us be gone.”
Anyone wishing to send the family a message is asked to visit Donald Rowe’s memorial page at: www.coxgiffordseawinds.com
