Obituary
ROWELL, Sheldon MacDonald ('Shel') March 7, 1925 - May 17, 2013 Sheldon (Shel) Rowell, husband, father, grandfather and friend to so many, died on May 17, 2013 surrounded by his family at the Victoria Hospice, after a short but brave battle with cancer. He was 88. Sheldon is survived by his wife Barbara (Macgowan), daughters Judy of Nain, Labrador and Janice (John) of Fairbanks, Alaska and sons David and Bruce (Robin) of Sooke. He has five grandchildren - Jason and Chelsea Rowell, Jeni Rowell and Erica and Elly Blake. He is pre-deceased by his older brother Lloyd Rowell, killed in World War II, father, George Rowell and mother Della (Nelson). Shel was born in New Westminster in 1925. Two things defined him and his life - love of family and love of flying. He embarked on his flying career in 1943, during World War II when he enlisted in the RCAF, receiving his wings and promotion to pilot officer the following year. During the war years he transferred to the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and carried out operational training for Far East operations. He was released from the RN Fleet Air Arm in '46 and returned to Canada where he completed his second year engineering at UBC and, in 1947, married Barbara Macgowan, also from New Westminster. But the opportunity to fly again led him to join the RCN Naval Air Branch where he remained until retirement in 1976. Flying was the focus of his military career and in '57/58 he qualified as a Naval Test Pilot at the United States Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, USA. He continued in the test and evaluation field, served as Commander Air at HMCS Shearwater in Nova Scotia and as Commander Air/Operations in HMCS Bonaventure ('67-69) completing the first and the last tracker arrested landing on the deck of the Bonaventure. He served on the Canadian Forces Unified staff in Ottawa in the Directorate of Future Force Development Projections. Here he directed a study of future plans and capability requirements for the protection of Canadian Sovereignty in the Arctic. From 1973 until his retirement he served on the staff of the Flag Officer Pacific Command as Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, and retired with the rank of CDR (P). During the early part of his military career Shel spent a lot of time away from his family who learned how to cope in his absence and revel in his homecomings. Nothing matched the excitement for us as young kids hearing him fly over our school and jumping up to see him wag his wings - his way of telling us that he was home. His post military career combined his love and talent for flying with the opportunity to travel, this time with his wife. Together they embarked on a new journey as they enjoyed the freedom of life without kids. Working as an international aviation consultant, his first of many projects involved designing a search and rescue organization for Iran and surrounding waters. Shel and Barbara continued to travel to many exotic and foreign places collecting adventures and building lifelong friendships. But it was Shel's work in Nepal that really stole his heart. He managed a project recruiting and training Nepalese pilots many of whom would fly for Royal Nepal Airlines. This project brought both him and Barbara to Nepal many times, where they treasured their experiences and the deep bond they developed with the pilots and their families who are now intimately entwined in their hearts and their lives. Shel is a kind and gentle soul who never tired of giving to others. His marriage to Barbara is a testament to love and life. For their 50th wedding anniversary they travelled around the world and many stops on their journey provided opportunities to reconnect with people and places they had visited over the past 30 years. They recently celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary with a picnic on a beach in Victoria on a glorious day. On a tiny piece of paper tucked inside his wallet, we found these words from Leonardo da Vinci: "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." Anytime we need to feel him close we too will turn our eyes skyward. With love, Barbara, Judy, Janice, David and Bruce. Namaste Donations may be made to the charity of your choice or; The palliative care unit of the Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital (BPKMCH), in Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal. This is a palliative care unit that is twinned with the Victoria Hospice. Donations may be made at https:// sites.google.com/site/nepalhospicetwin/ or call 250-519-1744 or mail a cheque to Victoria Hospice, 1952 Bay Street, Richmond Pavilion, and ask that it specifically go towards the Nepal Twinning Partnership. Or simply "pay it forward" the way Shel always did. A celebration of life with family and friends will be held in the fall. To leave a condolence, visit www.earthsoption.com "
|
1925 - 2013 (88 years)
