Vickie Lynn Rowe

On December 10, 2021, following a nine-year battle with cancer, Vickie Lynn Rowe slipped from this world into the next at her home in Annandale, Virginia, where she had lived for more than sixty years.

Born and raised in Virginia, Vickie was the daughter of Jerome William (“Bill”) and Beverly Jordan Rowe. Vickie was an active, long-term member of Friendship United Methodist Church in Falls Church, teaching Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and serving many years as the church treasurer. She also helped organize and lead a Brownie troop in the community where she was a role model for 28 girls for several years as they grew through Brownies and became Girl Scouts. From helping the girls select badges to earn, to organizing camping trips to encouraging leadership development, Vickie demonstrated infinite kindness, patience, creativity and acceptance. She was active in Soroptimist International of Arlington, serving several years as treasurer, both before and after her term as president.

From an early age Vickie began working at Arlington Printers and Stationers, the family business for more than fifty years. At age fourteen she started working part time during the school year and full time during the summers. She loved all aspects of the business, eventually attending James Madison University, where she earned her degree in Accounting with a minor in Data Processing. Both degrees helped her move seamlessly into the accounting department of AP&S, eventually becoming secretary/treasurer of the corporation. When the business closed, Vickie was hired by the accounting firm of Kearney and Company in Arlington, Virginia, where she worked for 22 years. During that time, the company grew from 40 employees to more than 700 and she helped build the internal accounting and finance department to meet the needs of the rapidly growing organization.

Cake decorating was a hobby for Vickie for many years and her skills grew with each class she took. Her creations ranged from simple birthday, going away, and shower cakes to multi-tiered wedding cakes to elaborate gingerbread creations every Christmas; and she always welcomed little hands helping her decorate many of her cakes and Christmas cookies. Her travels took her to five continents along with extensive travel in the U.S. To Vickie, family was everything and she became an active amateur genealogist, tracing both sides of her family back several generations. She loved arranging family gatherings, whether outdoors for picnics and pool parties or indoors for birthdays and holidays - simply put, she loved being surrounded by family. She devoted the last fifteen years of her mother’s life to keeping Mom safely in her own home.

She was preceded in death by both her parents and one niece, Caitlin Marie Peck. She is survived by her four sisters: Linda (Ron) Ford of Hagerstown, Maryland; Joyce (George “Doc”) Edwards of Martinsburg, West Virginia; Karen Peck of Annandale, Virginia; and Carol (Bob) Patterson of Lancaster, Virginia. She is also survived by niece Kimberly Ford of Concord, North Carolina; nephew Brandon Ford of Austin, Texas; niece Alaina Alter of Hagerstown, Maryland; niece Brittany Patterson of Huntersville, North Carolina; and by six great-nieces and -nephews.

A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, January 8th at 11:00 a.m. at Friendship United Methodist Church, 3527 Gallows Road, Falls Church, Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Friendship United Methodist Church (address noted above).

Those we love remain in every single memory we hold within our hearts.