Robert Brace Rowley, 79, of Houston, TX passed away on Friday, August 12, 2022. Bob was born November 19, 1942 in Kansas City, MO to the late Brace and Fadonna Norton Rowley. He grew up in Kansas and graduated in 1960 from Topeka High School. He then received a BBA from Washburn University in Topeka where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. After four years with IBM in Topeka and Kansas City, in 1969 Bob began a long and successful career with Robert Half International. This included franchise ownership of Houston area RHI offices and Director of International Technology at the European Corporate offices in Belgium. Bob officially retired in 2007.
For over 20 years Bob lived his dream life in Colorado where he enjoyed hiking, skiing, rafting and racing. He loved traveling and enjoyed many trips to Belize with his cousin the late Jim Norton and his best friend Jim Britt. In more recent years, he enjoyed travel to Tahiti, China and across the USA with former wife Mary Lynn Myers Rowley who remained a friend all his life and survives in Houston, TX. Playing poker and blackjack was also a big enjoyment for Bob, especially when he won. All of this was in addition to pursuit of his true passion of restoring and racing vintage cars which took him all over the country.
Bob was a member of Sports Car Club of America and actively participated in Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing events where he won some and lost some but always had a great time. Although he raced many cars over the years, his pride and joy was his 1967 Lola T70. Everyone who knew Bob knew about Lola. In 2008, he began working with Ryan Hayes and the late Carl Wells to restore Lola to the original condition as when it was raced by the late Dan Gurney. When fully restored, Dan Gurney himself autographed the chassis shortly before it was named “Best in Show” at Road America in Wisconsin.
Bob is survived by son, Timothy Brace Rowley; daughter, Britt Elizabeth Rowley Schroeter and her husband Will; and granddaughters Ella Elizabeth and Abby Lynn Schroeter, all of Houston, TX. He is also survived by a sister, Ramona Rowley of Palm Springs, CA and cousin Beverly Norton Awalt of Fairfield, TX. Other survivors are former wife Amy Morrison and members of the Morrison family.
A celebration of Bob’s life will be on Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 2:00 pm in the Hunters Creek Chapel at Earthman Funeral Directors, 8303 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77024, with a reception to follow in the event room at Earthman Funeral Directors.
The family requests that anyone wishing to make a memorial donation make it to Alzheimer’s Association, 6055 South Loop East Freeway Houston, TX 77087 or www.alz.org in memory of Robert Brace Rowley.
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