Paul J. Rowean

Paul Joseph Rowean of Portland, CT, formerly of Old Lyme, passed away July 3, 2019 after a short battle with cancer. He was born September 26, 1946 in Boston, MA. He was the beloved son of the late Dorothy E. (Molway) Rowean and the late Joseph Rowean. Paul grew up in Boston, graduating from Boston Technical High School. Shortly after his graduation, he joined the U.S. Army Reserve where he served as a combat medic. He served six years and received an Honorable Discharge. After leaving the Army, he attended, and graduated from, the University of Hartford with a B.S. in marketing and an MBA. Paul joined Danaher Tool Group (then Easco Hand Tools) as a product manager after graduating from the University of Hartford. Shortly after, he was promoted to Director of Marketing and helped to build the organization. In the 1980s, he left Danaher and started a manufacturer’s rep firm focusing on big box retailers in the Northeast. Danaher Tool Group asked him to rejoin their company as VP of Sales and Marketing for Sears Roebuck/Craftsman business. Under his watch as VP, the business grew and he was promoted to VP of Innovation and Ideation in 2001. He earned his Master Black Belt in Lean Ideation at Danaher. He retired from Danaher in 2007 and started his consulting firm Rowean & Associates. He found a love for writing and authored 6 books about Lean and a book about growing up in Boston. Paul loved family time, especially Sunday dinners and time spent at Old Lyme Shores. He looked forward to puttering in the garage with the grandchildren, painting bird houses and spoiling them with “reverse dinners.” In 1971, Paul married the love of his life, Judith A. Rowean, with whom he raised four children. They made their home for twenty years at 75 High Farms Road in West Hartford and spent summers at 29 Billow Road in Old Lyme. They recently built an in-law apartment with their daughter and son-in-law in Portland. He was predeceased by a son Paul Rowean, Jr in 1985, a sister Nancy E. Liljedahl in 2009, and his wife Judy in December 2018 to Parkinson’s Disease. Paul is survived by his sister Janet E. Farrelly and his four children: Amy Beth Dumais and her husband Brian of Portland, CT; Bryant M. Rowean and his wife Nicole of Winnetka, IL; Brandon P. Rowean and his wife Falan of Manchester, CT; and Katelyn M. Rowean of West Hartford, CT. He leaves behind ten grandchildren: Andrew, Samantha, and Tyler Dumais; Keegan, Alexander, Hayes, and Heidi Rowean; Rylee, Alexandra, and Taylor Rowean. Friends and relatives are welcome to call on the family on Thursday, July 11 from 6-8 pm at the Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT. Funeral services will be Friday, July 12 with a celebration of Christian Burial at 10 am at St Peter Claver Church, 47 Pleasant Street, West Hartford. Burial will follow in Fairview Cemetery, West Hartford. Online expressions of sympathy may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Paul's name may be made to: Parkinson's Foundation, 200 SE 1st Street, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131.