Harold Welton Rowland

Harold Welton Rowland of Roswell, Georgia passed away peacefully on February 20, 2022. He was born in the Sweet Lips community of Chester County, Tennessee on March 23, 1929 to Gent and Leetah Rowland. He grew up on a farm in Chester County, Tennessee, where he met his future wife, Martha Hurst, around the age of 8 at the general store where her father worked. A few years later, his family moved to Parma, Missouri, where he graduated from high school. He joined the U.S. Navy at the beginning of the Korean War. During his enlistment, he sent a proposal of marriage and an engagement ring to Martha via mail, which she accepted. After his honorable discharge from the service, he married Martha Hurst and began attending college at the University of Tennessee in Martin, Tennessee.

Upon graduation from the University of Tennessee in 1959, Harold began working for the John Deere Company. He was eventually promoted to regional service manager of the Southeastern United States until his retirement in 1984. Shortly after retiring from John Deere, he began and pursued his own lawn maintenance business until 2002. Harold’s hobbies included working on automobiles and lawn and gardening equipment, home repair, and gardening. He was also an enthusiastic University of Tennessee football fan, and liked country music. He could be very direct, but also had quite a sense of humor.

Harold was a member of First Baptist Roswell since 1971, where he was an usher for many years. Harold and Martha had 3 sons, and they were happily married for 47 years until her passing in 2001. He was a good husband, a good father to his children, and will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Harold was preceded in death by his parents, Gent and Leetah Rowland, his brother, Lenon Rowland, his wife, Martha Rowland, his son Keith Rowland, and a grandson, Andrew Rowland. He is survived by his sons Lynn (Donna) Rowland of Gainesville, GA, Mark (Lisa) Rowland of Canton, GA, his daughter-in-law Cathy Rowland of Conyers, GA, his niece Toni Hurst of Alpharetta, GA, and 6 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.