Edward B. Row Jr.

EDWARD B. ROW JR. OLYMPIA FIELDS, IL
Edward B. Row Jr., a World War II veteran, died at age 85 on September 19th in Olympia Fields, IL. Born July 2, 1923 to Edward and Mildred Row in Seattle, WA, he grew up in Eugene, OR, with four older sisters. Mr. Row was a civilian shipyard worker in Honolulu at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Once he was able to return to the mainland, he enrolled in aeronautical engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy shortly thereafter. Commissioned an ensign, he trained at flight school in Norman, OK; was a flight instructor in Pensacola, FL; and flew antisubmarine and air-sea rescue aircraft until the end of World War II. After his discharge as lieutenant (jg), Mr. Row went into a career in retailing and held various store and company management positions in eight states over the next 40 years before retiring from the Montgomery Ward & Co. in Detroit. Mr. Row's first wife was Jeanne Lucille Cash, to whom he was married from 1944 until her death in 1953. He remarried in 1954 to Jessie Leonori Benson. He and Jessie moved from the Detroit area to Olympia Fields in 2001, and shortly before her passing in 2004 they celebrated their 50th anniversary. Mr. Row is survived by his four children: Stephen Row (Kathleen) of Greenville, NC; Sally Good (Michael) of Lake Stevens, Wash.; David Row (Julie) of Clarkston, MI; and Melissa Goodwin (Kenneth) of Munster, IN; seven grandchildren; one great -grandson; and seven nieces and nephews. His love for his family and for God was the foundation upon which he built his life. He was a proud, talented, and devoted man and he will be sorely missed. A memorial service is planned for 10:00 a.m. on October 4, 2008 at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Griffith, IN. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Humane Society of Northwest Indiana in Munster, IN, or to Christ Church Episcopal in Detroit. For further information, contact Burns-Kish Funeral Home at 219-836-5000.