Jean Ellen Broadbent Rowe

Published 11:03 am Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Jean Ellen Broadbent Rowe, 90, died in the loving embrace of her three children on April 21, 2025, in Camarillo, California. Born in 1935 in Ventura, California, she was the daughter of Arthur Marion Broadbent, Sr. and Ann Frances Lewis, of Spanish Fork, Utah. She grew up in the LDS Church, where she grew to love music as her favorite spiritual expression. After graduating Ventura High School in 1952, she enrolled at Brigham Young University, where she met L. L. “Todd” Rowe, a Navy veteran from American Falls, Idaho, whom she married in 1955. They moved to Oregon and raised their family in the Rogue Valley, where Jean helped Todd establish his optometry practice. She returned to college, earning a Bachelor’s degree from Southern Oregon University in 1968. Jean began her career as a music teacher, then moved to “the best job ever”: 3rd grade teacher. She worked for 26 years for Central Point School District 6, earning an MA in Library Science and serving as a media specialist. She took great pride in teaching children to sing songs, to read books and to identify dinosaurs. In 1991, she was honored as Teacher of the Year by the Rogue Valley Reading Council. After retirement, Jean and Todd settled in Yuma, Arizona. After Todd’s sudden death, in 1997, she returned to her hometown to live out her life among family and dear friends.

A cancer survivor, Jean believed life was meant to be lived in the here and now. She found great joy in sharing life’s pleasures with loved ones and partaking in the arts. She sang with the Gold Coast Concert Chorus, performing in the 2004 UK concert tour. She took regular college classes and made overseas treks to see the world’s great museums. She believed in building bridges, taking part in cultural exchange visits to Cuba and Russia. She was an avid fan of U of O football and VHS sports teams, which she supported with her lifelong friend Benjamin Arellanes. She belonged to several charities that champion women’s rights and welfare, such as the Assistance League of Ventura County and the Chapter MC of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, of which she served as president.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her siblings, Arthur Marion Broadbent, Jr. and Ann Frances Broadbent Schlange. She will be greatly missed by her three children, Alison Rowe (George Demery) of Ventura, CA, Todd Griffin Rowe (Jennifer Woods) of Tulare, CA, and Kristin Rowe Meche (Mark Meche) of Salem, MA; as well as her five grandchildren and one great grandchild, Kristin and Emma Gordon, Atticus and Alexander Meche, and Lauren and Kate N’Guetta.

Jean also leaves behind legions of former students whom she helped to find their voice, convinced life is a little better when you dare to sing out. She requested that her family forgo an official service, gathering privately to scatter her ashes and celebrate her life. We’re certain she would be happy to know you reread Tolkien, or belted out a Tom Jones tune, or lifted a glass of Cabernet in her honor. In memoriam, please consider donating to one of her favorite charities, the P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship (IPS) Fund, or the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.