Theodore H Rowell Jr.

Early Life

Ted was born on Jan. 30, 1932 in Superior, Wisc.  While his mom and dad lived at the Rowell Fishery at Wheeler's Point, MN, his mother took the train home to Superior to be near her mother and sisters for the birth.  The son of a pharmacist/commercial fisherman, and grandson of a war veteran, entrepreneur, and commercial fisherman, Ted grew up on the waters of Lake of the Woods hunting and fishing.  He attended grade school at the Wheeler School until the family moved into town in the early 1940's, so his father Ted Sr. could be near his new business Burbot Liver Products Company, which later became known as Rowell Laboratories, Inc.

Ted attended Baudette High School.  He played basketball, was quarterback on the football team, and played ice hockey.  He continued to visit his grandparents at the fishery out at the lake as he grew up with a love of the outdoors, hunting and fishing.  His father always told him, this town has been good to us; Ted developed a deep love for the Baudette community and Lake of the Woods.  Upon graduating from high school, Ted followed in his father's footsteps, attending the University of Minnesota to study pharmacy.  During the summers, he would return back to Baudette and work in the family business.  Friends Janet Onstad and Patrica Tobin were also home one summer, cleaning cabins at Morris Point Resort.  They invited a friend from college Vivian Keeling to come up and join them as cabin girls.  The girls set Ted up with Vivian.  The two dated some, but when classes resumed in the fall, they returned to Minneapolis to continue their studies, and lost contact.  

Marriage, Family, and Children

While back at school, Ted was on a date at the ballet.  During the ballet, Ted escaped to the lobby, and  ran into Vivian, and this time he vowed to not let her get away again.  In 1956, Ted and Vivian were married at the Chapel of St. Thomas the Apostle in Minneapolis, and made their home in Baudette.  To this marriage were born 5 children: Joe, Anne, Mary, John, and Bill.

Professional Life - Rowell Laboratories

In the mid-1960s, Ted Sr. wanted to spend more time hunting and fishing, so he decided to retire.  Ted Jr. then took over the running of Rowell Laboratories.  During the following 20 years under Ted, Jr.'s guidance, the company was successful.  In addition to running Rowell Labs, Ted would continue to study business and leadership, and even taught seminars at Harvard University. Ted was constantly looking for new products and technologies that would be a good fit for the company.  He would travel to Europe, visiting companies and their Sr. management, looking for unique products that were not available in the US, that might be a good fit for the small company.   Although the company was eventually merged with another company and later sold, Ted was very happy that it is still operating in Baudette to this day.

Retirement in Florida, Vivian's Illness and Her Passing

In the early-1980s, Ted and Vivian bought a retirement home in Orlando, FL.  They loved their home and neighbors, some of whom stayed their friends for the next 30 years.  Ted stayed active in bicycling, playing tennis a couple times a week, and ice skating weekly.  Additionally, he was involved with a business incubator, offering mentorship and assisting many entrepreneurs with their businesses.  With Ted spending so much of his life boating and on the water, he eventually earned a US Coast Guard Captains License, licensing him to vessels to 90 tons.  He would open an off-shore fishing charter business, fishing in both the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1993, Ted entered the Catholic Church.  He loved his Catholic faith and, every year, celebrated the anniversary of his entrance into the Church.

As Ted got older, he and Vivian began to scale back their activities, spending some summers back in Baudette, plus more time closer to their Orlando home with their children and grandchildren.  In 2016, Vivian suffered an incapacitating stroke. Unable to care for herself, she spent time in rehab facilities.  Vivian would eventually move home where Ted, and the family would care for her until her passing in Jan. 2020, after 63 years of marriage.  Ted stayed by her side until the very end.

Final Years

After Vivian's passing, Ted wanted to live and spend his final years active with his children and grandchildren.  After the passing of Vivian, Ted searched for meaning in life, having outlived Vivian and so many of his friends.  He stayed active meeting friends for coffee, and with his men's prayer group.   Ted felt a calling to found Save Our Souls (SOS), a monthly men's group focused on getting family and friends to heaven.  He spent years planning an organizing the meetings, and the group continued to be successful.

In October 2024, Ted was diagnosed with a treatable but aggressive form of lymphoma.  During those last days, Ted was able to see all of his children and most of his grandchildren.  He passed away on Oct. 28, 2024 at 9:30PM.   Ted was proceeded in death by his wife Vivian of 63 years, his parents Ted Sr. and Marge, and sister Peggy Rowell Allguire, Robert Allguire, Sr., nephew Ted Allguire. He is survived by his children Joe (Laura) and children Tom and Chrissie, Anne Rowell and daughter Victoria, Mary Minyon (Michael) and daughter Megan, John (Veronica) and son Alistaire, and Bill (Tara) and their children Johnny (Sabrina), Rachel and daughter Maeve, Jane, Theodore, Will, Miles, Robby, and Kate, brothers-in-law Clarence and Leo, sisters-in-law Jean Ann and Darlene and 30 nieces and nephews, all whom he loved dearly.

Visitation will be at Dobbs Funeral Home on Kirkman Rd on November 8, 2024 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The funeral will be held at Incarnation Catholic Church in Orlando on November 9, 2024 at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers or in memory of Ted, the family requests donations to Incarnation Catholic Church, and in the Memo section write: "Building Fund".

Services for Theodore H Rowell Jr are as follows:

Viewing - Friday November 8, 2024 - 6pm - 8pm - Dobbs Funeral Home Chapel - 430 N Kirkman Rd. Orlando, FL 32811

Funeral Mass - Saturday November 9, 2024 - 11:00am - Incarnation Catholic Church - 1515 Edgewater Dr. Orlando, FL 32804

Burial - Saturday November 9, 2024 - 2:00pm - Winter Garden Cemetery - 13636 Lake Butler Blvd. Winter Garden, FL 34787

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Theodore H Rowell Jr., please visit our floral store.