Harriett C Rowland

Coleman Funeral Home of Oxford Harriett Cockrill Rowland died peacefully Saturday December 30, 2023 at Pinnacle Assisted Living in Oxford, Mississippi. She leaves a legacy of strength and perseverance, having overcome personal tragedy to build a life for herself and her family. The family will receive friends at St. Peter's Episcopal Church on Thursday, January 04, 2024, from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM. The funeral service celebrating her life will occur on Thursday, January 04, 2024, at 11:00 AM in the sanctuary of St. Peter's Episcopal Church . Interment will occur privately at a later date. Harriett was born June 27, 1935 in Memphis, Tennessee, and graduated from Messick High School in 1952. She was 16 when her father died and began a lifetime of working to support herself. In high school she worked in the accounting department for Tennessee Valley Electrical Supply where she would see the young Elvis Presley when he worked at Crown Electric. He did not impress her to say the least. In 1955 she married Herron Rowland, Jr., a native of Oxford, Mississippi, where they were close friends with John and Joncie Vaught. Herron introduced her to William Faulkner who they went sailing with and spent Christmas Eve at Rowan Oak. She and Herron moved frequently to follow his career advancement with McKesson Drug Company, with stints in Jackson, MS., Connecticut, and Oxford. Harriett was widowed in 1977 at the age of 42 when her husband died suddenly. Her children remember how she persevered to raise them alone, and to provide for their home and education. She built her own career, with positions at Leader Federal Savings and Loan, Boyle Mortgage Company, and retiring from Armstrong Relocation Company. She was tenacious in pushing back the chauvinistic attitudes of the 1970’s as she navigated areas where a single woman could be taken advantage of, such as negotiating the purchase of a car or managing home improvements. To find strength and gratitude, Harriett knelt for prayers every night. Her children and grandchildren marveled that despite the adversity she faced, she never complained. Stating in a school interview with her granddaughter that she had no regrets. Harriett was a longtime member of the Episcopal community having served as church secretary for St. Peters in Oxford. Later she was an active member at The Church of Holy Communion in Memphis. She served as lay minister, a member of the alter guild, and longtime wedding coordinator. After retiring in 2005, she devoted more time to the church and to her grandchildren, and caught up on her reading. She moved back to Oxford in 2008 to be closer to her children and grandchildren, who will remember her for being the first car in the after school pickup line. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her father, Paul H Cockrill, and mother, Myrtle “Dimps” Ogan, her beloved brother, Paul Cockrill, and her stepbrother, Bill Ogan. She is survived by her children, Gena (Ed) Straub of Counce, TN., and Vicki (Tom) Fowlkes and Herron (Cynthia) Rowland, both of Oxford; her grandchildren, Maegan Mallon of Bluffton, SC, Elizabeth Fowlkes of Lincoln, AL, Katherine Fowlkes, of Birmingham, AL, and Whitman and Margaret Rowland, both of Oxford; and her sisters, Jane Emerson Craddock of Warne, NC, and Mary Cude of Franklin, NC; and a host of nephews and nieces. In place of traditional flowers, the family has requested that financial gifts be donated to St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Select the following link to donate online: http://stpetersoxford.org/online-giving/ or mail checks payable to: St. Peter's Episcopal Church 113 South 9th Street Oxford, MS 38655 Should any family or friends be unable to attend the funeral service, St. Peter's Episcopal Church will livestream the service. Click http://tinyurl.com/fj36n64a the following link to join the service , then select the "live" option at the top of the page to begin watching. The Coleman Funeral Home of Oxford staff is honored to serve the family as they walk through this challenging season of life. Online condolences may be left on her Tribute Wall at www.colemanfuneralhome.com.

Harriett C Rowland

June 27, 1935 - December 30, 2023

Explore Obituaries &
Upcoming Services