Jeannette Marie Rowden was born on Easter Sunday in 1940 and passed away on Thanksgiving in 2022. She was one of five children born to Frank and Lena Marie (Courtney) Konrad. She was raised in Sacramento, California, and spent most of her life there before moving to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and then to Ferdinand, Indiana.
Jeannette’s primary work was that of a mother and homemaker, and she helped raise nine children. She had endless energy, great organization skills, and was neat as a pin. Her signature meals included Chicken Barcelona, Swedish meatballs, and pizza on Sunday. She earned a Master of Science in Nursing from California State University Sacramento, and for several years she operated a rest home for senior citizens. She volunteered her time and talents in numerous ways throughout her life, including sewing projects, teaching English to refugees, taking a blind friend on daily walks, helping people with their taxes, and serving as treasurer and secretary of the Ferdinand Senior Citizens.
Jeannette was a gifted seamstress and made many of her own clothes. She had a passion for square dancing and was known for wearing elaborate dresses of her own design. A music enthusiast, she honed her piano skills over the course of many decades and rarely missed an episode of the Lawrence Welk Show. She enjoyed gardening, and her home was usually surrounded with flowers. She and her husband Jim loved to travel and visited China, Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
A devout Catholic, Jeannette involved herself extensively in parish life. At Christ the King Parish in Ferdinand she was a member of the funeral choir, led the recitation of the Rosary before Mass, and served as lector. She had a deep appreciation for Scripture and led many Bible studies, helping others to enrich their faith.
Jeannette was preceded in death by her parents; her husband James Rowden; her brother Theodore Konrad; and her daughter Jennifer Alvis.
Jeannette is survived by her sisters Barbara Alvis, Charlotte Lee, and Gloria Green; one daughter, Désirée Douglas of Seven Hills, Ohio; two sons, Norman (Shilo) Alvis of Colorado Springs, and Robert (Andrea) Alvis of Ferdinand; three step-sons, Marc Rowden of Fairbanks, Alaska, Dan Rowden of Anchorage, Alaska, and Cash Rowden of Los Angeles; two step-daughters, Annette Rowden of Baltimore, and Denise (William) Vagliardo of Oneonta, New York; and eleven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
A visitation is scheduled at Becher Funeral Home in Ferdinand on Monday, November 28, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, November 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. in St. Ferdinand Church. A funeral Mass and burial will follow on Tuesday, November 29, starting at 10:00 a.m. in St. Ferdinand Church.
