Rowena Carol Zepp

On December 22, 2025, Rowena Carol Zepp (ne Wiggins), beloved wife of Edwin Andrew (Drew) Zepp of St. Peter, MO, beloved mother of Scott Zepp (Lindsay) and James Zepp (Heather), both of Columbia, MO and proud grandmother of Callie, Renley, Colton and Atley, passed from this life. She was 74 years old.
Rowena was born on September 22, 1951, at her family farm on Puzzle Ridge (Route P) in Chariton County. Her parents were Chester and Lila Wiggins. She was the youngest of five children. She was a typical farm girl helping her parents with chores around the farm. Her early education was at the Menefee one-room school. She attended New Cambria High School where she played basketball. She was proud of having won a Betty Crocker award in school (a fact she liked to remind her husband of when he tried to do something in the kitchen she disapproved of). After high school she attended and graduated from Northeast Missouri State University in Kirksville. She stayed in Kirksville where she worked for Burroughs Business Forms as a project manager among other positions. One morning, after an all-night bass fishing tournament in which Drew was participating, she was introduced to him. Drew made it a point to pursue this young and beautiful girl, but she played hard-to-get. However, he finally won her hand. Rowena and Drew were married on November 9, 1979, and began what has become 46 years of beautiful marriage and friendship. In 1986 Rowena and Drew, along with their two sons, moved to St. Peters for Drew's job, which involved travel. Rowena had to do much of the parenting while Drew was traveling. To say that she did a wonderful job would be understating it. Both of her (our)sons grew to be outstanding men.
Rowena enjoyed gardening and reading murder mysteries, as well as going either to the local casinos or on casino trips with her sister Elaine. But most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her family. Family was everything to her. Most gatherings were spent around home cooked meals, always including desserts of all kinds. She really enjoyed having her grandkids over for swimming in her backyard pool. One of her biggest joys was seeing the entire Wiggins clan at Thanksgiving at the family farm. She was a very unselfish person, always putting other's needs and wants before her own.
She was preceded in death by her parents and by her brother Gary Wiggins of Macon County. She is survived by her husband and three other siblings, Dr. Larry Wiggins of Memphis, MO, Elaine Rucker of Taos, MO and Linda Putnam of Columbia, MO as well as her two sons, Scott and James in Columbia.
Services will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at the Hutton and McElwain Funeral Home, 301 N. Rubey Street in Macon, MO with visitation from 11:00-1:00 with service to follow. Interment will be in the Johnson Cemetery on Route P. Following the graveside service, a reception will be held at the family farm, also on Route P.
Memorials can be made to the Foundation for Women's Cancer (foundationforwomenscancer.org) or Conquer Cancer (support.conquer.org)