Michael David Rowen

From the beginning, Michael David Rowen was a force to be reckoned with. Michael lived welland played hard.Born December 16, 1959 in Tucson AZ, Michael had an innate love of the desert. After movingfrom Tucson at age 2, Michael's earliest years were in Pennington NJ. His family moved toHermitage TN when Michael was in grade school. Michael attended Tennessee Tech andgraduated University of Tennessee with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He was a registeredProfessional Engineer in Tennessee, South Carolina, and Arizona. Over the years, Michaelworked as an engineer and project manager for several companies includingBridgestone/Firestone, Gresham Smith, Barge Design Solutions, and Hoechst Celanese.Michael was an instant friend to all. He would pick up a conversation with anyone looking for asmile, a laugh, and most of all a connection. He was funny, silly, and as stubborn as a mule.He was a total gear-head. He loved cars - especially his BMW M6 from years ago. He followedIndy Car and loved to watch Formula 1 races (go Lewis!). He could call out the make, model andyear of almost any car he saw on the road.His most beloved activity was traveling which he did extensively for both work & pleasure.When asked what his favorite place to visit was he couldn't name just one. Some of hischerished spots included Destin FL or Orange Beach AL for a relaxing beach vacation, the OuterBanks to see the power of the ocean, Telluride CO or Innsbruck Austria for skiing, the CaymanIslands or just about anywhere in the Caribbean for a winter get-away, Sedona AZ for a magicalexperience, and Costa Rica for the rain forests and the friendly folks. He and his wife Jill hadrelocated to Arizona and had started to explore the west coast of the US.He was a University of Tennessee fan and was thrilled to watch the Vols beat 'Bama Saturdayafternoon!We lost Michael Sunday evening October 16, 2022 after a brave fight with cancer and otherhealth complications. He passed away peacefully in the Tucson metro area.Michael is survived by his wife Jill (Kueker) Rowen, his sisters Laurie Fosbinder and Beth Gilbert,his brother Tim Rowen, and many extended family members. He was proceeded in death by hisparents Dr. Robert and Joan (Lohman) Rowen and his brother Brian Rowen.A celebration of Michael is anticipated to be held in Nashville with details to follow. In memoryof Michael, the family requests you consider donations to the American Cancer Society, St JudeChildren's Research Hospital, or the Mike Rowe Foundation. Additionally, his wife, Jill, invitesfamily & friends to share their fondest memories of Michael.