Jimmie E. Rowley

Jimmie E. Rowley, 65, of Hot Springs, SD, formerly of Moravia, died Thursday, August 25, 2011, at Fall River Hospital following a brief illness. Jimmie Rowley was born August 6, 1946, in Albia, Iowa. He graduated from Moravia High School in 1964 and attended Centerville Community College. Jim served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1972. He worked forty years in the railroad industry, beginning with the CB&Q in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. He was a special agent for the Rock Island Line in Chicago and worked as a conductor for both the KATY in Texas and the BNSF in Wyoming and South Dakota. On December 6, 1985, Jim married Marilyn Shelquist in Albia, IA. He retired from BNSF in 2006. Jim was a life member of both the American Legion and the 40 and 8. He served as Grand Chef de Gare du South Dakota in 2000 and as Nationale Garde de la Porte in 2010. Jim was also a member of Harmony Lodge 110 in Hot Springs, SD, and Antiquity Lodge in Moravia, IA. He is also a Shriner, and a member of Eastern Star, the Eagles, the Elks, and the Moose Club. He loved spending time at Angostura Lake. Jim was also an avid fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, Atlanta Braves, and Denver Broncos, as well as sprint car racing. He was a member of the Black Hills Corvette Club and enjoyed traveling all over the US and to England, France, and Mexico. His retirement celebration was a cruise on a Windjammer sailing ship. Jim was rarely seen without his faithful dachshund Dash by his side. His favorite quote was "Every day is beautiful. Enjoy every day." Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Marilyn of Hot Springs, SD; his son, Christian Rowley of Clarinda, IA; his mother, Blanche Rowley of Albia; his brother, Harold (Teresa) Rowley of Albia; his sister Lou Ellen (Jim) Swinney of Del Rio, TX; his mother-in-law Barbara Shelquist of Moravia, IA; two brothers-in-law David Shelquist of Moravia, IA, and Galin Shelquist of Albia, IA; and many nieces and nephews. Jimmie was preceded in death by his father Earl Rowley; his brother Gary Rowley; and his father-in-law Ivan Shelquist. Funeral services will begin at 10:00 a.m. Monday, August 29, at Tharp-Winfield Funeral Home in Albia, Iowa. Interment will be in Service Chapel Cemetery, with Military Rites provided by American Legion Howard Cessna Post #136 of Albia. Visitation will be held from 11:00 A.M. to 8:00P.M., Sunday Aug. 28, at the Tharp-Winfield Funeral Home in Albia, with Masonic Rites at 7:00 P.M. Jim's family present from 6-8:00 P.M., Sunday evening. Memorial services will be held in Hot Springs on Wednesday, September 7 at 6:00 p.m. at McColley's Chapel of the Southern Hills. Memorials may be directed to the Shrine "DADS" program in care of the NAJA Shrine, Rapid City Shrine Club, 4091 Sturgis Road, Rapid City, SD 57702 or to the Moravia Masonic Scholarship fund at PO Box 191, Moravia, Iowa, 52571.

Jimmie E. Rowley

August 25, 1946 - August 25, 2011