Obituary of Don Rowling

S’UP BITCHES!

Donald Lee Rowling (Don, Donny) passed away unexpectedly in the early morning hours of May 23, 2023 at the age of 63 years young. Don was born on November 9, 1959 to Edward and Jane Rowling in Longview, WA. He joined David and soon followed Nancy and Judy. Ed and Jane moved the family to Idaho when Don was 13 where he attended school in Boise.

Don worked for years at MotivePower, developing a love for locomotives, making life-long friends and meeting the future love of his life. Although he didn’t know it, Theresa proclaimed years prior to their first date “I just met my future husband.”

Don loved all things with an engine and you could often find him enjoying his favorite hobby, ANYTHING to do with cars! Whether he was racing cars, watching cars race, building cars (especially his 68 GTO) or walking around looking at cars at a car show, Don was probably doing it with the biggest smile and his son Chris by his side. Don raced at Meridian Speedway and made the rounds to other tracks in the northwest for 13 years. Don definitely passed his passion for racing down to Chris and he will cherish that forever. Don loved camping and we all looked forward to our summer adventures; sitting around the fire, playing games or paddling out in our kayaks. He always got the funniest looking sunburn.

In 2010 Don became Don and Theresa. You rarely saw one without the other. On New Years Eve 2013, Theresa’s prophecy came true and they were married. Their love is immeasurable and it showed in everything they were. Don and Theresa created so many memories with their adventures, from redoing their house, BSU football games to vacationing at the Oregon/Washington coast and driving the track at 165 mph at the Vegas NASCAR track.

In 2020 they embarked on yet another adventure. Don had accepted a position in SE Georgia overseeing the remanufacturing of locomotives. No friends or family within thousands of miles but they had each other and they loved every minute. Being in another part of the country allowed them to create more cherished memories. One of their favorites will always be their beloved Jekyll Island. In the last 3 years, Don and Theresa were lucky enough to attend NASCAR races across the east coast with Chris and the July ‘22 Atlanta race with his daughter April and her fiancé Chris. April and Chris were able to spend almost two weeks with them in Georgia and Don couldn’t have been happier showing them around to all of their favorite places.

The end of 2022 brought Don and Theresa home to Boise for good as Don had been diagnosed with cancer. While there were good days and bad days, Don never lost his smart-ass sense of humor. You could always count on him to share a laugh, a Bob & Tom joke he had just heard or an arousing rendition of “18 Wheels on a Big Rig” (you’re welcome family!)

Don is survived by his wife Theresa, their children April (Chris), Tasha (Dave), Brittney, Chris-Topher, Travis (Cheyanne) and Jordan. Siblings David, Nancy and Judy. Grandchildren Mikaela, Kaden, Khloe Mae, Jethrow and Carson. Bonus cousins, aunts, uncles, half-siblings, cousins and many, many friends. A special thank you to Katie Spain Barr and the entire Spain family for welcoming us into the family. Don cherished that weekend more than words can express. He was proceeded in death by his mom and dad, Ed and Jane Rowling, many friends, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the covered Pavilion in Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday June 17th from 3-6pm. Refreshments and cake will be provided, please bring camp chairs and alcohol if desired.