Rebecca “Becky” Rowes peacefully transitioned from this life on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. after a brief illness. She was born on May 30, 1951, in Lima, Ohio, to the late Merlin Eugene Rowe and Gerdie L. Owens.

Becky graduated from Indiana Business College and built a long and dedicated career in retail, customer service, and food service across Ohio and California before eventually calling Savannah, Georgia, home. After 20 years in executive administration and student services, she retired from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Her loving, generous, and gregarious spirit, strong work ethic, and tireless persistence made her a beloved member of the SCAD community. She fondly described her time there as “hard work that was fun” and “filled with many adventures.”

With a true passion and calling for service, Becky lived by her values and virtues. She was a friend, confidant, ally, advocate, cheerleader, and a loving mother to many. She formed deep, lasting bonds with her work family and, with an open and generous heart, wove a beautiful tapestry of connection that brought countless people together in love and friendship in her Georgia home.

This legacy of love is most profoundly rooted in her devotion to her family. Becky is remembered with deep affection by her children, Don Thomas, Gerdie Thomas of Illinois, and Wayne (Laura) Vaughn of Indiana; her cherished aunt, Mary (Willie) Purnell of Ohio; her brothers, Samuel Owens and Sylvester Cowan, both of Nevada; and her sister, Bell Owens of Nevada. Becky’s legacy lives on in a large, loving family, including grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her beloved son, Eric Thomas; her mother, Gerdie L. Owens; father, Merlin Eugene Rowe; sister, Jeanie Jackson of Nevada; brothers, Kevin Owens of Ohio and Albert Owens of Florida; her loving uncles, Raymond, Johnnie, Elsworth, Fred, and Carl; and her aunt Bernetta.

Becky will be laid to rest in Lima, Ohio, alongside her parents and ancestors. Details for celebrating her life will be shared in the coming days.