Charles Daniel "Dan" Rowe

Charles Daniel “Dan” Rowe, age 80, of Tamworth, New Hampshire died on March 12 after a three-month-long illness.

Born in Norwich, New York on June 1, 1942 to Elizabeth “Betty” and Charles “Charlie” Rowe, Dan spent his school-age years in Syracuse where he attended St. John’s Catholic Academy. He was a graduate of Le Moyne College, also in Syracuse, and embarked on a career in finance and operations in department store retailing. Dan’s working life began at Dey Brothers department store in Syracuse and progressed to positions at Federated Department Stores and the May Company, including Bloomingdales in New York, May D&F in Denver, Rich’s in Atlanta, and culminated as President of Stern’s in Paramus, New Jersey.

Dan met his wife, Elizabeth “Liz” Robertson Rowe while working at Rich’s, and the two were married in 1986. Upon his retirement from the retail industry in 1995, Dan and Liz moved to Tamworth, where he transformed a life-long hobby of collecting historical documents and autographs into a successful business, The Written Word Autographs. In recent years, Dan took great pleasure in working in collaboration with his son, Michael “Mike,” on The Written Word Autographs. Dan’s work as an autograph dealer expanded into a framing business, and many of his family, friends, and others enjoy beautifully framed items crafted by Dan.

Dan will be remembered for so many things, including his love of life, devotion to his family, and great sense of humor. Dan was an avid sports fan and participant. A runner for many years, he completed twelve New York City marathons. He loved cheering on the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox and attended numerous championship games and other sporting events including Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup games, NCAA Final Fours, and the Olympics.

Dan took great pleasure in spending time with his family, including his beloved dog Hannah, and was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. Dan is survived by his wife, Liz; children with his former wife, Sandy Eisley Rowe, Mike Rowe (wife Leisa) of Norcross, GA and Meghan Phillips (husband Jim) of South Portland, ME; grandsons Charlie Rowe and Grant Rowe; granddaughter Claire Phillips; sister Betsy Rowe-Manning (husband Jack Manning) of Saratoga, NY; sister Kathy Rood of Syracuse, NY; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A communicant of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church (300 NH Rt. 25 Meredith, NH), Dan served the parish as a Lector and a Eucharistic Minister. A funeral mass will be held for Dan at St. Charles on May 20 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Tamworth Community Nurse Association in Dan’s memory.