Funeral Service Details

William T. Rowe
December 10, 1921- September 26, 2024

Bill Rowe was born in Byhalia, Mississippi to Henry and Irene Rowe. After graduation from Byhalia High School in 1939, he attended Draughan’s Business School. Bill met Maxine while living in Memphis, TN and they were married in 1943.

In 1942 he was accepted in the Army Air Corp, where he became a distinguished pilot. He served in WWII as a B-29 pilot, flying fifteen missions in the Pacific. He was awarded the Air Medal, Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon, American Theater Ribbon and Victory Medal for his brave service.

After the war, he graduated from Mississippi State and received his Master’s in Aeronautical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1950.

Bill and Maxine had seventy-four wonderful years together before Maxine’s passing in 2019. They raised twin daughters and a son, and were blessed with 5 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

In 1950, they packed up their belongings and moved from Atlanta, GA to Long Beach, CA where he had been hired by Douglas Aircraft. Two years later they would move to Anaheim, and in 1955 moved to their forever home. He worked as an engineer and aerospace program manager for 35 years.

Early on, Bill and Maxine discovered a love for card games, which led to their passion for duplicate Bridge. Bill eventually became a teacher of the game and a director, responsible for running the games. He directed Bridge games on several Cruise Lines for many years and ran a local game in Anaheim for 40+ years. He played Bridge 4-5 times a week, both online and in person until two weeks before his passing.

After a short illness, he passed away peacefully at home on September 26, 2024 (which coincidentally, was Maxine’s birthday), with his family by his side.

He will be interred next to Maxine at Memory Gardens Memorial Park in Brea.