Bernadette Joan Rowen

Beloved wife of the late Ramon J. Rowen; devoted mother of Michael J. (Darlene) Rowen, Kenneth R. (Stacy) Rowen, Kathleen (Hany) Falestiny, Kelly (Ryan) Kean; loving grandmother of Eric (Joann) Rowen, Ben (Megan) Rowen, Marcel (Jay) Nagel, Andrew Falestiny, Samantha (Chris) MacKay, Alex (John) Rowen, Hannah Falestiny, Madeleine Kean. Affectionately Gigi to great grandchildren: Lilly, Joel and Luke Falestiny, Ryan And Nicholas Rowen, Paul, Amelia and Evelyn Nagel, Eleanor Rowen and Archie MacKay.

Raised in Buffalo, NY, Bernadette was the youngest and preceded in death by 7 siblings: Norman Rebadow, Eugene Rebadow, Mary Lougen, Richard Rebadow, Robert Rebadow, Patricia Kean and Irene Neumann. She was an aunt to 25 nieces & nephews. She was blessed to have all 4 brothers return home after WWII and often spoke of the difficulty for her mother and sisters during that time as well as surviving the Great Depression Era.

Bernadette worked at H&R Block as a Tax Preparer. She and Ray moved to The Villages, Florida and then worked as a Medical Biller for her son-in-law in Ocala until Ray’s death in 2001.

Bernadette played the piano and sang in several choirs. She enjoyed sewing clothing and was a custom seamstress for several years. She loved to travel with Ray and ventured to Egypt, China, Yugoslavia, the Caribbean, Canada and numerous cities throughout the United States. She was a devout Catholic and a member of the Secular Franciscans/Third Order Franciscan, a daily communicant and thoroughly enjoyed her Bible Study Group at Blessed Trinity Church in Ocala. She was an avid reader of the Catholic Faith as well as The Doctors of the Church and Sacred Scripture. She adored her Australian Shepherd, Zoe, for 17yrs. She spent the remaining 10 years in Cape Coral enjoying her children and grand & great grandchildren and hopes of successfully leaving a legacy of a faithful, Christian and conservative way of life, until her death.

A funeral mass for Bernadette will be held 11am Friday, September 26th at St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church, 1922 SW 20th Ave, Cape Coral, FL 33991. A 12:30pm burial will occur Monday, September 29th at Florida National Cemetery, 6502 SW 102nd Ave, Bushnell, FL 33513.