Rowena Ione Day, 93, of Ijamsville, MD passed on to her heavenly home on April 12th at her daughter’s residence in Germantown. She was the beloved, faithful wife of the late Kenneth Lee Day, her husband of 47 years. Rowena was born on November 27, 1931, in Calhan, Colorado, daughter of the late John Monroe Lee and Olive Picolet Lee. Her family moved to Council Grove, Kansas while she was still a baby.

Rowena is survived by her two children, Kenneth B. Day (Wanda) and Sherri Mallis (Dimitri) and two grandchildren, Nicholas Mills and Allison Mills, as well as her step-grandchildren, Beth Mallis, Valerie Mallis, James Mallis, Tess Bennett (Steven), Jennifer Dodd and Sandra Dolan and one step-great grandson, Andrew Mallis. She is also survived by her sister Betty Wilkins (Russ) and sister-in-law Darlene Day (Carroll). She was preceded in death by her brothers, John Lee (Rose), William Lee (Ruby), brothers and sister-in-law, Carroll, Jimmy and Betty Day, her very young siblings Clarence and Conard Lee and her step- great granddaughter Kylee Bennett.

Raised in the heart of the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression, she did not have an easy childhood.

She met Kenneth in Kansas when he was stationed in Fort Riley, and they were married March 31, 1951. They moved to Maryland and she became a secretary at the Operations Research Office in Chevy Chase, MD, which was a US Army and Johns Hopkins University collaboration. There she worked for 12 years before she became a stay-at-home mom. Kenneth and Rowena enjoyed traveling during this time with trips to California, Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, and the Florida Keys, to name a few.

When Rowena was a child, she and her brothers walked to their school house on Sunday, where they attended church. She loved the Lord and took evangelism very seriously, sharing her faith with anyone that was interested. She was an active lifelong member of Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church, faithfully serving as Sunday School teacher, women’s ministry president, evangelism chairperson and youth group leader. She really enjoyed participating in Community Bible Study at Montgomery United Methodist Church for over 20 years, encouraging generations of women, including her own daughter.

She cherished her Lee and Day families. Summers were packed with the Day tradition of attending Browningsville Cornet Band events: church picnics, carnivals and parades; and of course, the annual trip back to Kansas for two weeks. Rowena enjoyed traveling with her decades long friend Mae Stephens to Kansas, Dollywood and other destinations. She also traveled with her special friend and travel buddy Deloris Wiley to the local events and Damascus Travel Club destinations. Rowena also enjoyed gardening her roses, ferns, daffodils and hostas, and in her earlier days, acrylic painting.

The family will receive friends at Molesworth-Williams Funeral Home 26401 Ridge Rd, Damascus, MD 20872 on Tuesday, April 22, from 2-4 and 6-8. The funeral will be on Wednesday, April 23 at 11AM at Bethesda United Methodist Church, 11901 Bethesda Church Rd, Damascus, Maryland, 20872

Pall Bearers will be Mark Beall, Robert Drish, Dimitri Mallis, Nicholas Mills, Roy Stanley, and Brett Wiley.

In lieu of flowers Memorial contributions may be made to Pleasant Grove UMC, c/o Camilla Kettle, 3137 Pheasant Run, Ijamsville, MD 21754.

Online condolences may be shared with the family on our website at www.molesworthwilliams.com

Thank you and God Bless