The Reverend Doctor James Clayton Fletcher Rowan

The Reverend Doctor James Clayton Rowan United Methodist Minister The Reverend Doctor James Clayton Fletcher Rowan died Monday, March 7, 2016. He was born January 31, 1926 in Sycamore, Gadsden County, Florida. After graduating from high school in 1944, he served in WWII in the Navy in the Pacific as a Seaman First Class and then attended Florida State University. He graduated in 1950 with a degree in Social Work. While at FSU, he served as pastor at Tallahassee Heights UMC in Tallahassee. Pursuing the call to ministry led him to the Chandler School of Theology at Emory University where he received a Master""s degree in Divinity in 1953. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Florida Southern College in 1978. Rev. Rowan married Ruth Martha Dinkins on August 13, 1954. Their marriage was his joy and support for 52 years. Rev. Rowan served the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church for over 50 years including appointments at Southside in Jacksonville, Fulford and Kendall in the Miami District, Trinity in Deland, Beymer in Winter Haven, the Jacksonville District and First, Lakeland. Rev. Rowan retired in 1991 and with his wife, Ruth, lived in the mountains of North Carolina, and on his family home place in Gadsden County, Florida. They moved to Carpenter""s Home Estates in Lakeland in 2005. Rev. Rowan was preceded in death by his parents, three siblings, and his wife. He is survived by his sons, Clayton Rowan (Connie), of Asheville, NC, James Rowan of Virginia, Alan Rowan (Karen) of Tallahassee, FL, and his daughter Jana Ladner (David), of Atlanta, GA and seven grandchildren. Funeral services will be at 4:00 p.m. on March 19, 2016 at the old Sycamore United Methodist Church in Gadsden County located at the Sycamore Cemetery; Charles McClellan Funeral Home, Quincy, Florida. There will also be a memorial service at First United Methodist Church, Lakeland on a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Florida United Methodist Camps or Sycamore UMC. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.heathfuneralchapel.com Pending Service: 03/19/2016 Old Sycamore United Methodist Church Gadsden County, Florida