David William Rowe
May 23, 1963 to May 26, 2017
Obituary
Rowe, David William
May 23, 1963 – May 26, 2017
David passed away peacefully and unexpectedly at a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the days before his passing, David had been in Zimbabwe participating in a Rotary-sponsored humanitarian project at the Tshelanyemba Hospital. David had been deeply involved with projects at the hospital for the past 10 years.
Leaving to mourn are his loving and devoted wife Linda, cherished daughters Emily and Kate (their mother Janet Smith) and Sarah Burgess (James Chaulk), brother Alan (Bryan Blenkin) and sisters Wendy (Max Batten) and Margaret (Rob Larder). Also remembering him are Linda’s parents Mary and Gerard Fleming, brother-in-law Angus Fleming (Christina Schilg), nieces Gillian (Cleve Sauer), Jennifer (Jason Guy), Becky (Michael Courage) and Katie, nephew Stephen, and many other relatives and friends. David was predeceased by his parents, Eliol and Sheila Rowe.
It is incredibly sad that somebody who gave so much to the world and who was cherished by many should be taken away so suddenly. David had a huge heart and spent his whole life making great friendships. People recognized easily that he was a special person. He loved his family more than anything and they helped him live a rich and happy life filled with love and great pride. He made a difference in the lives of many and was respected and loved for being himself. That is pretty special.
Cremation has taken place. Visitation will take place at Carnell’s Funeral Home 329 Freshwater Road from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 6th and from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7th. A memorial service will take place on Thursday, June 8th, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. from the Carnell Memorial Chapel.
Donations in David’s memory may be made to the Tshelanyemba Hospital Zimbabwe Project (P.O. Box 1538, St. John’s NL A1C 5N8), the Conception Bay South Music School (c/o 64 Cambridge Crescent, Conception Bay South NL A1W 4C9), or a charity of one’s choice. To send a message of condolences or to sign the memorial guestbook, please visit www.carnells.com
Schedule
Visitations
7-9 p.m. on June 6, 2017
2-4 p.m. on June 7, 2017
7-9 p.m. on June 7, 2017
Carnell’s Funeral Home
329 Freshwater Road
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funeral
10:00am, Thursday June 8th
The Carnell Memorial Chapel
329 Freshwater Road
View on Map
I only just found out today about Dave and was very shocked by his sudden passing. While I only knew Dave from CIPH, I felt that he was very professional and a giving person especially for those less fortunate, as is evident of the hours he spent on the Zimbabwe project. RIP, Dave, you will be missed.
Linda
We are so shocked and saddened of Dave’s sudden passing. We were out of the country when we got the news.
Our hearts go out to you Sarah Emily and Kate. May all of your happy memories keep him with you always.
Dave was a very kind and loveable person and will be missed by all.
Dear Linda and Family,
So sorry to hear about Dave. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time.
Sincerely,
Joan Brett
Linda and Family,We were soo sorry to hear of the unexpected and sudden passing of David..Sorry we could not have been there because we were out of province.Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your Family during this difficult time.David was such a sweet and lovely man.We pray that you will be comforted in the days ahead.Love Aunt Madge and Michelle.Love to all.
From the Staff @ Wolseley New Glasgow. Lance, Scott, Brad and Fraser. Please accept our deepest condolences for your great loss. Daivd will be sorely missed.
Linda, I am so sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family at this difficult time.
Dear Wendy and Max and all the family,
What a difficult time this has been for all of you! We pray that God will bring good out of what has happened to David. We know David had a mission in life and pray that you will all be comforted by the God of all comfort who knows what that mission was in its entirety. May the Peace that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Please know that you are being upheld in prayer.
with love and condolences,
Lynn and Jonathan
Linda,
Our sincerest condolences to you and your family. So sorry for your loss.
Maude & Peter Thornhill
Margaret and Family, I am sorry for your loss. I met David when I used to help with the Music School fundraisers. He had a smile for all, a generous and helpful person. Caring thoughts are sent your way.
Margaret, Rob and the Rowe Family,
I was saddened when I heard of David’s sudden passing. I remember David as a student at QEHS and later as Margaret’s younger brother when she was my colleague at QEHS.
May your memories of David comfort each of you in the days ahead and with time make you smile once again.
Thinking of you ,
Shirley ( Squires) Ryan
Margaret, Linda and Family,
Ian and I were shocked and saddened to hear of David’s passing. We are very sorry for your loss. We remember him fondly from the days when our family was associated with the CBS Music School and Concert Band.
Dear Wendy, Max and Family,
We were so sorry to hear about David’s tragic and untimely passing.. Please pass our condolences on to the rest of your family. We’ll be thinking of you in the days ahead and hope that the memories you cherish will
give you strength.
Love,
Marilyn Macdonald and Stephen Jones
Linda and family: we wish to offer our deepest condolences on the passing of your beloved David so suddenly and too soon. We met David through the CBS Music School. He was always such a great encourager. He will be missed immensely. You and the girls are in our thoughts and prayers. Sorry that we cannot be with you on Thursday…. but we are never far.
Sincerely,
Jennifer, Mike and Concert Band Member, Samantha Hughes
Dear Margaret and Family,
I am so sorry to hear of David’s passing, You have lost him much too soon. I am thinking of you all and wish you peace and comfort now and in the coming days.
Our condolences to Linda and Family on the passing of David. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and the family at this time and in the days ahead. May you take comfort in knowing that others are thinking and praying for you and the family.
Jeff and Rosie (Fleming) Arnold
Our condolences to Linda and Family on the passing of David. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time and in the days ahead. May you take comfort in knowing that others are thinking and praying for you and your family.
Jeff and Rosie (Fleming) Arnold
Linda and family,
Our heartfelt condolences on the sudden passing of David. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Rowe family. David was a kind, giving, and thoughtful person who will be sorely missed by many.
Dear Linda
My thoughts are with you during this difficult time, I am so sorry for your immense loss. My prayers are with you and your family.
I was so sorry and shocked to hear of David’s sudden passing. I had the pleasure of working with David the past few years through both of our employment with Wolseley Canada and will certainly miss him. David was one of those individuals who you can’t help but like a lot from the first time you meet him. He had shared with me his passion for the work he and the teams he travelled with were doing for those so much less fortunate in Zimbabwe . If there is any blessing it is that he passed away doing what he felt called to do. My thoughts and prayers are with Linda and all of his family. He will truly be missed by many,
Margaret and family,
I was so sorry to hear of David’s passing. Although it’s been many, years since we played together in the CBS Concert Band I remember fondly of how kind, thoughtful and supportive he was. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this most difficult time.
Jennifer
Dear cousins,
I was so saddened to hear of David’s passing. My thoughts are with you and I hope you find the strength to get through these first days and weeks. I will always remember David for his kind and loving heart. He will be missed.
Rick Rowe
Margaret, Linda & extended family,
We are so sorry to hear of David’s passing. Keeping you in our thoughts & prayers. May he live on in the hearts & minds of the many that have been blessed to have been touched by him. Keep the memories alive! God Bless!
Sarah and Family,
My thoughts and prayers are with you during this unexpected tragedy in your lives!! May you find peace and comfort in all the wonderful, happy and cherished memories you have!!
Margaret and Linda and family,
I just heard the news and am feeling a little dumbstruck. I am so sorry for your immense loss. Such a wonderful man. God bless you all.
Love Gordon Martin
Linda, I’m so sorry to hear of Dave’s sudden passing. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and all the family at this difficult time. May you draw strength from those around you and keep your memories in your heart.
Linda and family,
My deepest condolences on the tragic and sudden passing of David. Though I only met you both once, at the airport as you were departing for Tshelanyemba, it was evident how much you both were dedicated to the amazing work you were doing there. The excited anticipation to see the friends you had made there on past trips and to get to work on the latest projects was so obvious. I have a couple of lovely photos to share from the airport. Please know that I am holding you and your family close in my thoughts.
Shelley Smith
Rotary St. John’s Northwest
Heartfelt condolences to the entire family, David was far too young, we are thinking of you all during this sad time.
Linda and Family,
So shocked and saddened to hear of David’s sudden passing. David was such a kind and caring person. I’m sure you Sarah, Emily and Kate miss him more day by day. Hopefully the happy times you shared will help you over the difficult times.
Thinking of you always.
Love and hugs,
Aunt Shirley
Linda & Family, Margaret, Wendy, Alan and other family members,
My heartfelt condolences on David’s untimely death. I pray for your peace and comfort.
Maxine Reccord Pinhorn
Margaret and family, so saddened to hear of your brother David’s sudden passing. He was obviously a very special person, loved and cherished by many. May he rest in peace
Linda and family, so sorry to hear of your husbands sudden passing. We have heard and read wonderful tributes to the honorable man you were all so fortunate to have loved and will continue to be enriched with fond memories. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you all at this difficult time.
Extending our deepest condolence on the passing of a great father, husband, friend and humanitarian. My daughter Krystyn, attended school with Emily and Kate and made many visits to your home, returning with stories of how funny,, kind and a great father David was to his girls.
Take comfort in knowing he was the best and his love will be eternal. You are in our thought and prayers, Kim Flannigan( Paul) and Krystyn Hawco
Linda & Family,
We were absolutely taken aback to hear the devastating news of Dave’s sudden passing.
We cannot comprehend just how sad you must feel at the unfairness of your profound loss.
The world may seem like a bitter place right now, with a torturous journey ahead of you,
but we hope your spirit will gain strength again, with the love and comfort of your faith, family and friends.
We will certainly miss Dave.
Gail Kielly & Pat Connors
Near shady wall a rose once grew,
Budded and blossomed in God’s free light,
Watered and fed by morning dew,
Shedding its sweetness day and night.
As it grew and blossomed fair and tall,
Slowly rising to loftier height,
It came to a crevice in the wall
Through which there shone a beam of light.
Onward it crept with added strength
With never a thought of fear or pride,
It followed the light through the crevice’s length
And unfolded itself on the other side.
The light, the dew, the broadening view
Were found the same as they were before,
And it lost itself in beauties new,
Breathing its fragrance more and more.
Shall claim of death cause us to grieve
And make our courage faint and fall?
Nay! Let us faith and hope receive—
The rose still grows beyond the wall,
Scattering fragrance far and wide
Just as it did in days of yore,
Just as it did on the other side,
Just as it will forevermore.
A. L. Frink
My thoughts are with you all during this time, he will be remembered …. hugs to all
Frances
Angus, the Rowe and Fleming Family.
So sorry to hear the Loss of your Loved One. Oue thoughts and Prayers are with you and your Family during this difficult time. May God Bless you all.
Linda, Sarah, Em and Kate – I will always cherish the wonderful memories or time spent with Dave and the family growing up. I am thinking of you all and wishing I was there to give you all big hugs. Love you so much
Linda, I was shocked to hear of David’s passing. Thinking of you and all the family at this very sad time.
Wonderful memories will sustain you. My prayers are with you all. God Bless.
Sincere Sympathy
Louise Smith
Linda and family
We were deeply saddened to hear of David’s sudden passing. It was only a few days before I was fondly remembering a conversation we had about the excitement we felt on our wedding days.
We hope the love and care of your family and friends give you peace and comfort. God bless
To David’s family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time . We knew David through the CBS school of music trip to Florida. Always a gentleman ,quiet and sincere. Glad that our paths. Tossed, it was an honor to have know him . May God bless you all .
We were saddened to learn of David’s passing. Our condolences to the Rowe family at this very difficult time.
Linda, and family
Sorry to hear about your loss, my thoughts and prayers are with you all at this sad time.
Dianne Rideout
My deepest condolences go out to the Rowe family and all the people he touched in his life. He is a great and well respected individual.
Linda, Emily, Kate and Margaret,
Please know your entire band family is here for you. We will so miss the astounding love, humour and dedication that Dave gave to us in such a selfless way.
Dave was an inspiration in my life and I was lucky to know him. One can only aspire to be the beautiful person he was. He will live on in the great work he did for others and in the hearts of everyone who knew him.
Please accept my deepest condolences in your loss. David was a very special person and very well respected within our Wolseley family, My heart goes to all of David’s family.
As his obituary reminds us, David was a very special person. His focus and dedication to his passions was evident immediately when I first met him. He displayed a desire and conviction to accomplish any task that he deemed worthy. As a colleague in the P & H Industry he was hailed as a compassionate and capable man and quickly gained the respect of his peers. He was the pride of CIPH NL as his accepted the position of its most recent and current president of the NL chapter. As he attended conferences and events across Canada, and across the world actually, he always flew the NL banner and had a helping hand for anyone in need. It is ironic, maybe fitting, that his life ended among the people for who he had such a strong desire to help.
I am glad to have had the opportunity to share our time together and to be the recipient of his humour, compassion and friendship. We lost a great man and he will be sadly missed.
Condolences to the family.
Sadden to hear of Dave’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this time.
He is your guardian angel now.
Linda we are saddened to hear of the sudden and unexpected passing of David. Just a wonderful person in every way.
My most heartfelt sympathy to his whole family.
The IPEX NL TEAM
Very saddened to hear of Dave’s passing and of the circumstances. It is truly heartbreaking. My thoughts and prayers are with you all and your families as you deal with such a huge loss of a very kind, gentle and selfless man. God bless you all <3
I was shocked and saddened to hear of David’s passing. Please accept my sincere condolences.
Wendy & Max Batten
We are saddened to hear of the passing of your beloved brother. May you forever cherish his memory in your daily lives. Our thoughts and prayers go with you and his family. God Bless.
Linda,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this very difficult time. Take comfort in the memories you have.
Take care and God Bless!
Daphne OOXO
Here’s a poem I’d like to share with you.
He Lives On
You may not be able to see him,
Though you think he’s gone.
Inside your heart you carry him,
He really do live on.
I know you feel an emptiness,
Of words that were left unsaid.
Release your pain, forgive yourself,
For you know, he already did.
The love you gave, he took with him,
And left his love for you.
And after some time has passed,
Here is what he’d ask of you.
Share his life and remember him,
To those you love – out loud.
And he will become part of them,
For that would make him proud.
Those little quirks, the quips he said,
Please share those memories again.
For there is no plaque or stone,
That would better honour him.
He loved you then, and love you still,
And will forevermore.
So take his love and pass it on,
That’s what his legacy is for.
Give his memories as gifts,
While mourning that he has gone.
Share his love in your hearts,
And you will know that he lives on.
Dear Wendy and Max,
There are no words to adequately express our thoughts on the loss of your brother, except to say we are saddened to hear the news of David’s passing. Please pass on our condolences to other family members.
Sincerely,
Roberta and Lloyd
Deepest condolences to David’s family.
So very sorry for your loss, he will be dearly missed.
Linda,
I am so saddened by the sudden loss. of your beloved husband. My heart breaks, knowing David’s hand will not be there when you reach for it, but know in your heart that he will always be close by.
You are in my prayers my friend.
Love and comfort,
Our sincerest condolences to Linda and family. So sorry for your loss. Love Catherine and Rick Steele
Linda and family , we are so saddened to hear of David untimely death, the thought of it is unbearable . Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers . God bless
Linda we are so sorry to hear of the sudden and unexpected passing of David. Our prayers are with you and all the family during this very difficult time.
There are no words to measure the loss adequately. David was a great soul living an ordinary life to the fullest and collecting wonderful friends and memories where ever he could. I am surprised to realize that I knew him as a friend for just 30 years or so.
He had a passion for life and shared his thoughts regularly with good friends. He could be stubborn – but also took time to listen and learn from those around him. People who saw him only in a professional capacity were often pleasantly shocked by his sense of humor when he let it show.
He was a very generous man and a devoted friend and father. He would absolutely glow when his friends got together and he got the chance to talk about his girls.
Love lived in his soul. I was only slightly surprised when he began taking trips to Zimbabwe to help others. That side of him had always been there and now he had a chance to satisfy both a sense of adventure and a desire to give back to the world.
He was a strong believer in getting things right and doing the right thing, rather than just looking after himself. In fact, he was happiest when others showed their trust in him to be their “rock”. No doubt that is why he found it so easy to build both great friendships and business relationships.
His love of music set him apart in many ways too. When he was surrounded by music that he loved, he was like a little kid again. His time with the CBS Music school was something that infused a lot of joy into his life.
We shared so many silly moments and deep conversations over the years, that I saw him like another brother. For many of his friends I know that is also true. Above all, he was loved for being himself in this world and made the world around him a better place for his family to grow up in. He may not have lived a long life, but he made the most of his time here among us. Our most heartfelt sympathy to his whole family, especially Kate, Emily, Sarah, Linda, Margaret, Wendy, Alan, Janet and so many others who shared their lives with David.
Linda and family
So sad for you all.
My live and prayers
Judith Young
While Wolseley was one of my customers, that never mattered to David and he was always professional and a class act when we were together. When we asked him to join CIPH NL, he was always there to play his proactive part and I was very proud to have him guide us this past couple of years as president.
On a personal note, Dave and I had many philosophical discussions that usually ended us both in ‘fits of laughter’…..I really enjoyed his sense of humour and respected his very passionate, charitable approach to life. When I was CIPH President, David even got me to speak about CIPH joining forces in the Zimbabwe project at a Salvation Army service….he really took a risk there….
As I reflect on David this evening, I would want to say that while David will really be missed by us in a lot of ways, his bright light will be cherished, only to wish and realize that I was hoping for our friendship to grow further with time.…..RIP David Rowe and God Bless….