Harold Rowden

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Harold Edward Rowden, 89, of rural Meta, passed away Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019, in the Maries Manor Care Center, Vienna.

He was born Sept. 4, 1930, to Clarence Ovid and Jessie Jewel (McKee) Rowden, in Maries County.

He was united in marriage to Lois Maxine Burd, June 4, 1949, at Vienna.

Harold attended the Smyrna Church of Christ for most of his life and at the time of his passing was a member of the Wheeler Church of Christ, both in rural Dixon. He attended the Wheeler School for his elementary education and was a 1948 graduate of Vienna High School. During his working life, along with wife Lois, Harold worked at Wagner Electric in St. Louis prior to purchasing their farm in rural Maries County. He then worked for Brown Shoe Company, Dixon, and later as a carpenter at Fort Leonard Wood. Prior to his retirement, Harold was employed in maintenance at the Missouri Mental Health Diagnostic Center in Rolla for 25 years. He was an original member and performer with the Blue Grass Five for 25 years and founder and member of the Rowden Review for the remainder of his career. During his bluegrass career, Harold received the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music Association (SPBGMA) Award for Traditional Bluegrass Male Vocalist of the Year award five different times along with 31 other distinguished citations, certificates, and awards during his career.  He performed at the Maries County Fair, local fundraising events, area senior citizen centers and was a member of Tom Coffey’s Crabgrass Music.

He was preceded in death by parents, Ovid and Jessie; sisters, Doris Finn and husband Joe and Jean Vaughan and husband Victor; and sisters-in-law, Launa and Jane Rowden.

He is survived by wife, Lois, of the home in rural Meta; children, Kevin Rowden and wife Sherry of rural Meta, Randy Rowden and wife Charlotte of Vienna, Keith Rowden and wife Patty of rural Meta and Rhonda Slone and husband Dwight of Vienna; brothers, Wilburn Rowden of Jefferson City and Herbert Rowden of Dixon; sister, Carol Ann Miller and husband Lewis of Dixon; and eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Saturday, Nov. 9, at Birmingham-Martin Funeral Home with Bro. Kevin Rowden and Bro. Tommy Nichols of Wheeler Church of Christ officiating. Interment followed in the Wheeler Cemetery, near Dixon. Memorial contributions suggested to the Wheeler Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund.