John Thomas "Sonny" Rowland

John Thomas "Sonny" Rowland, 74, of 2927 Cedarwood Drive, died Wednesday.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at White Rock Baptist Church, 3400 Fayetteville St. Family visitation, one hour prior to service. Burial, Beechwood Cemetery, Section F. Viewing, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Friday at Fisher Funeral Parlor.
His wife, Nancy Rhice Rowland, died in 1997.
John was a member of White Rock Baptist Church and the church's Finance Committee. He was also a member of the Durham Ushers Union.
He was a 1952 graduate of Hillside High School and a star kicker. John attended N.C. A&T State University and received a Licensed Practical Nursing Certificate from Watts School of Nursing. He was one of the first black male LPN nurses in the City of Durham. He worked at UNC Hospitals and Duke University Hospital and retired as a Research Assistant in the Department of Pharmacology at Duke.
John was a dedicated member of the James E. Shepard Sertoma Club and was named "Sertoman of the Year" in 1989 and "Treasurer of the Year" in 1997. Many of his volunteer efforts with the club benefited the speech and hearing impaired. He was a grand ambassador for the development of the Capital City Sertoma Club in Raleigh and was also active in the Goodwill Sertoma Club in Oxford.
He was a member of the NCCU Eagles Club and along with his late wife, was elected into the NCCU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.
Survivors include his daughter, Terri Yvette Rowland of Durham; his son, Tyrone Deryl Rowland (Lesley) of Olney, MD; sisters, Mary Elizabeth Gilmer (Thomas), Bernice G. Snipes, Carolyn Jones, Barbara Chalmers (Steve), all of Durham and Penny Thomas and Delores Thomas, both of Oakland, CA; brothers, Alphonso Grafton (Teresa) of Durham and Perry Thomas, Jr. of Oakland, CA.
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