Barbara S. Rowland, former funeral home business manager and volunteer, dies at 87
Mrs. Rowland was a dedicated volunteer, at one point chairing a campaign that raised $2.5 million to renovate the parish house at Abington Presbyterian Church.
Barbara S. Rowland, 87, of Abington, business manager for the Baron Rowland Funeral Home, died Sunday, April 12, of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at Normandy Farms Estates, a retirement community in Blue Bell.
She married Baron Rowland, a third-generation Philadelphia funeral director, in 1958. Soon after the wedding they moved to Abington, and in 1961 they opened the Baron Rowland Funeral Home on Old York Road.
Starting in 1963, she managed the office aspects of the business. In 2002, she and her husband sold the funeral home and retired. It has since merged with the Helweg Funeral Service to become Helweg & Rowland Funeral Home.
“She and my dad both had a strong sense of compassion for those in need at the time of death,” said their son, David B. Rowland. “She had great skill in writing, communications, advertising, and promotion.
“All those helped the business. They were very involved socially, which is the other aspect for doing a business like that.”
Born in Philadelphia to Catharine Mundy and J. Ardell Shadle, she graduated from Frankford High School and the Peirce School of Business Administration, now Peirce College. In 1986, she was inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement.
Before marrying, she worked as an advertising service coordinator for Yale & Towne Manufacturing Co. in Northeast Philadelphia.
Mrs. Rowland was active in many civic and charitable organizations, often serving in leadership roles. She was a half-century member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood Chapter L., a group that fosters the advancement of women using mentorship and financial support.
She was a member of the Abington Civic Club and the Order of the Eastern Star, an affiliate of the Masons. She was a 40-year member of Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington.
She was a member of Abington Presbyterian Church for 69 years, serving as a ruling elder and on the personnel committee from 1979 to 1993. She was also a member of Presbyterian Women, the national women’s society sponsored by the church. She chaired a capital campaign that raised $2.5 million to renovate the church’s parish house in Abington.
“She was very proud of that,” her son said.
Mrs. Rowland was vice president of the Abington Township Public Library’s board of trustees and chaired two campaigns, raising $2.2 million to digitize the card catalog, bring computers to the library, and renovate the building on Old York Road.
An accomplished pianist, she played the piano for Christmas caroling. She and her husband enjoyed Philadelphia Orchestra performances and world travel. For 20 years, they spent the month of March in Palm Desert, Calif.
In addition to her husband and son, she is survived by children Carol R. Diehl and Susan L. Rowland Miller and four grandchildren. A sister died earlier.
A private burial will be at Whitemarsh Memorial Park, Ambler. Plans for a memorial service will be announced later.
Contributions may be made to the Memorial Fund of Abington Presbyterian Church, 1082 Old York Rd., Abington, Pa. 19001.