GREEN VALLEY (AZ) NEWS & SUN

OBITUARY

Longtime Arizona rancher and former Ohio newspaper publisher Donald C. Rowley died Jan. 19, 2003, in Amado, Arizona.

The 90-year-old rancher was born in Lorain, Ohio, Nov. 8, 1912, to Claude and Milicent Rowley. Don was introduced to the West by his parents, who frequented Eaton’s Ranch in Wyoming and at one time owned an interest in the La Osa Guest Ranch in Sasabe, Ariz.

1952, Don and his first wife, Charlotte, purchased Rancho Seco in the Amado/Arivaca area. Within the next decade, Don also purchased the adjacent Santa Lucia Ranch. Don and Charlotte made the Santa Lucia their permanent residence in 1980.

The ranch remains in operation today and is known for its registered and commercial Hereford cattle.

A third generation newspaperman, Don served as Publisher and Chairman of the Board of Rowley Newspapers and Radio Enterprises of Ohio from 1952 until his retirement in 1979. His newspaper chain, once comprised of five dailies and two weeklies, served communities along Lake Erie, from Ashtabula to Mentor, Ohio.

Radio Enterprises of Ohio had included AM /FM stations in Ohio and Kentucky; Metro-Page of Ohio and Kentucky, Selective Paging of New York and Muzak, background music for businesses.

In addition to being an active community, civic and church leader in Ashtabula, Don served as president and trustee of the Ohio Newspaper Association and as a trustee of Kent State University.

He was a member of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association, the Arizona Hereford Association, the AItar Valley Conservation Alliance, the American Hereford Association. and the National Cattlemen and Beef Association. He was a 60-year member of the Masons and a longtime member of the Elks in Ohio and Green Valley.

Don attended Dartmouth College and graduated from Spencerian Business School in Cleveland, Ohio. He married his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte Morrison in 1936. She preceded him in death in 1981.

He was also preceded in death by his second wife, Jane, and his brother Robert.

Don is survived by his wife Marianne and her family.

Don’s sons, Robert H. (Dorothy) and Jon C. (Peggy) of Amado, also survive him. He has five grandchildren: Jon F. (Tracey), Tucson; Jean Robertson (David), Cleveland, Ohio; Marc (Bianca), Monterey, Mexico; R. Dodge, St. Petersburg, Fla.; Jason (Kristi), Phoenix. He has three great- grandchildren. Don is also survived by two nephews, Richard (Pat) and David (Marie), both of Ashtabula, OH.

A memorial service to celebrate Don’s life will be on Saturday, Jan. 25, at noon, at the Santa Lucia Ranch, 11801 W. Arivaca Rd., Amado.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Altar Valley Conservation Alliance, HC 1, Box 97E, Tucson, 85736, or the UAF/Children’s Research Center, P.O. Box 245073, Tucson, 85724.