Ronny Kenneth Rowley

Ronald Kenneth Rowley, known to nearly everyone as Ronny, died on October 13, 2026, three weeks shy of his eighty-first birthday. He was born in Austin, Texas, on October 29, 1945, and except for the trips he loved so well, Austin is where he stayed — raised there, where he built his career, where he married Jean, and home until the end.

Services will be held on Monday, October 19, 2026, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas, followed by a graveside service at 3:00 p.m. Cook-Walden Capital Parks 14501 N IH-35 Service Road, Pflugerville, Texas.

Ronny worked thirty years with the Texas Highway Department before retiring, a career he built in the same city where he grew up. Away from work, he kept a full calendar. He was a longtime member of the UHO club, and if he wasn't on the golf course, he was likely planning the next trip — travel and cruises were among his great pleasures, and he took them as often as he could.

He married Jean, and with that marriage came two stepchildren, Brent Miller and Marianne Smith, along with four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Ronny took them on as his own and delighted in them; time with the family was, to him, time well spent.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Bobby and Dorothy Rowley. He is survived by his wife, Jean; his stepchildren and their families; and an extended circle of family, several cousins, and countless friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to First Tee Greater Austin, which introduces young people to the game he loved: firstteeaustin.org/donate

A life lived in one place, and richly peopled. He will be missed by many.