Colleen A. Rowlett

Colleen Ann Gibson Rowlett, 88, of Monroe, OH, entered the Kingdom of Heaven on Monday, July 20, 2015 with-family holding her hands-after facing many health problems with grace and courage. She is survived by her beloved husband, Glenford Rowlett of Monroe; daughter Jennifer Rowlett DeVault of Atlanta, GA; son Cary Daniel Rowlett of Topeka, KS and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She was predeceased by her mother Thelma Ruth Van Deman Gibson, father Edward Glen Gibson and best friend and sister, Patricia Louise Britton, along with many other friends, relatives and pets.

Colleen was born in Monticello, IN and graduated from Hanover College in 1948, where she was a member of Phi Mu. The summer before her senior year, her aunt, Wilma Van Deman, arranged a temporary job in the Bond Department of the U.S. Treasury, which gave her the opportunity to see President Truman speak from the Treasury steps. That fueled her passion for reading presidential biographies, which lasted through most of her life.

She met the love of her life, Glen, and they married August 8, 1948 in Monticello. Colleen taught school in Indiana before Glen entered the Army and was sent to Redstone Arsenal base in Huntsville, AL in 1953. Colleen and Glen both worked on Wernher von Braun's team under Operation Paperclip and Colleen was secretary to Adolf Thiel.

The couple moved to Kansas City, KS in 1955 and Colleen taught at Graceland Elementary School in Kansas City, MO. A former student confessed recently that he and another classmate had serious crushes on their attractive instructor. Glen's job took them to St. Louis, MO but they returned to Kansas City in 1960 and made their home in Prairie Village, KS until the mid-1980s.

Colleen was CEO, CFO and COO of the home and was active in the neighborhood, her children's schools and Cherokee Christian Church where she served as a Deacon and Elder. She kept a spotless home, was a fantastic cook and always loved entertaining for holidays, theme parties and bridge clubs. Colleen and Glen enjoyed their time in Kansas City and all the activities and restaurants the city offered. They had many friendships that have endured through the decades.

After several years in Chicago, the couple moved to Lawrenceburg, IN in the early 1990s, where they built a home on Hidden Valley Lake. Colleen was involved in book and gardening clubs and was instrumental in establishing Heart House, a homeless shelter in Aurora, IN. In 2001, they moved to Mt. Pleasant Retirement Community in Monroe, OH.

Colleen's compassion, especially for children and animals, moved her to give of her time and resources to many charities, including Habitat for Humanity and Child Fund International. She and Glen traveled extensively through the US, Canada and Europe, and she loved to read, do the crossword and Jumble, spend time with her friends and family, dine out and study the Bible. She could converse on just about any subject and held on to her convictions, always in search of justice. She was a Disciple of Christ and steadfastly believed that Jesus was her Lord and Savior and a better world awaits us all.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 25at 11 am at the Mary H. Kittredge Chapel at Mt. Pleasant with Rev. Karen Fleming and Rev. Joel Harbarger officiating.

The Rowlett family extends their immense gratitude to the community at Mt. Pleasant and the nurses and aides at the MP Health Center who cared for and loved Colleen and the special angels at Miami Valley Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Mt. Pleasant ACE Fund (a staff appreciation fund) may be sent to: 225 Britton Lane, Monroe, OH 45050.


Funeral Home:
Wilson-Schramm-Spaulding
3805 Roosevelt Blvd.
Middletown, OH
US 45044