Betty Rowley

Family-Placed Death Notice

BETTY JEAN SIMER ROWLEY Betty Jean Simer Rowley, beloved wife of Joel and mother of Cheryl and Marsha, made her transition in Atlanta, Georgia from breast cancer. She was born in Clifton, Illinois to Annabel and the Rev. Thamer Waldo Simer (who started the first integrated church in Illinois and marched with Dr. King in Selma). Betty was educated at the Augustana School of Nursing in Chicago, then married Joel Rowley of Flossmoor, Illinois. Active in politics and real estate throughout her life she helped start and served as an officer in several League of Women Voter organizations. Committed to peace and social justice she helped establish and worked in the nursery of a day care center for migrant workers in rural Michigan while serving as social action chairman of the St. Joseph, Michigan Congregational Church. She marched with others against the war in Viet Nam. She petitioned against nuclear testing, supported civil rights and demonstrated against the war in Iraq. During the Cold War she traveled with Quakers and others interested in peace with the Fellowship of Reconciliation on a peace tour and seminar behind the "iron curtain" where she met the citizens of Prague, Czechoslovakia; Warsaw, Poland; East Berlin; crossing over at Check Point Charlie into West Germany then Amsterdam and London. The trip held many opportunities for round table discussions with members of the communist party as well as those who opposed the party. At Brandenberg Gate, American jazz was enjoyed as a universal language. Moving to Racine, Wisconsin with her family she was elected to the city council as one of the first two women ever elected in the city's 125 year history. She served for seven years. She was chairman of the Racine Bi-Centennial celebration. She was host of her own cable television show, "For Consumers Only". She served on the board of the YWCA and helped establish a Women's Center. At Wayne State University in Detroit she moderated Quaker sponsored interviews for the media with news makers of the day including Alan Greenspan. She became a licensed realtor in Wisconsin and Georgia and actively sold real estate for a combined eighteen years. She also enjoyed duplicate bridge and earned the designation of Life Master. She was a member of the Atlanta Unity Church. Survivors include her husband Joel, daughters Cheryl (Daniel) and Marsha (Phillip), brother Scott and sister Sandra, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and many other relatives and friends, all of whom she cherished. Memorial donations may be made to UNICEF or Habitat for Humanity. Betty's ashes will be scattered in Sedona, Arizona. The Cremation Society of The South is in charge of the arrangements, 770-420-5557.