Ben Hardin Rowan II, of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away peacefully in his sleep on October 19, 2024 at the age of 86.
Ben was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Jennifer Anne Kingsley Rowan, his parents, William H. Rowan, Sr. and Elizabeth Lowry Rowan, and his brother, William H. Rowan, Jr.
He is survived by his four children: Cathy Rowan East (Van), Trisha Rowan MacIntyre (Mike), Ben H. Rowan III (Julie), Debbie Rowan, nine grandchildren: Jennifer MacIntyre Froistad (Blake), Jay MacIntyre (Madison), Jonston MacIntyre, Van East IV (Abbey), Kingsley East Gibbs (Nathan), Katelyn Rowan, Lizzie Rowan, Maggie Rowan, Ben Rowan IV and seven great-grandchildren: Millie East, Maisy East, Van East V, Marin East, Ford Froistad, Trisha Lynn Froistad and Eden East Gibbs.
Ben was born in Nashville, TN on March 19, 1938. He graduated from Peabody Demonstration School where he was president of the student body and student council, as well as, a star athlete in basketball and track. His senior year, Ben won the high jump at the Banner Relays, and as captain of the basketball team, he broke the all time scoring record of points per game. Rowan was elected by his peers as the Nashville Interscholastic Basketball Player of the Year and selected as a member of the Tennessee All State team. In 2018 he was honored by the Tennessean by being named to the Legend Team for high school basketball greats.
Ben attended Vanderbilt University on a basketball scholarship and was an active member of Sigma Chi fraternity and a captain in the ROTC. He continued to high jump, winning the SEC Freshman high jump meet and runner up in the SEC Varsity high jump championship. In basketball, he was elected captain of the 1960 team, as well as a member of the All SEC Team. After graduating from Vanderbilt with a major in philosophy, Ben served his country as an Army lieutenant before starting law school. Ben went on to earn his J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School in 1964, where he served as president of the Honor Council.
In 1964 Ben joined the law firm Watkins, McGugin, McNeilly and Rowan, where he was a partner for twenty-five years until he retired. He was elected as a member of the Nashville Bar Association Board of Directors, Chairman of the Nashville Bar Admission to Practice Law committee, vice-president of the TN Defense Lawyers, and a Martindale Hubble AV Lawyer. After practicing law, Ben served as a trustee on the Brentwood Academy Board of Trust and is currently a lifetime honorary trustee. Wanting to give back to the school from which his four children graduated, Ben coached the middle school girls’ basketball and softball teams for seven years. But his long standing role as the announcer for the Brentwood Academy varsity football games made him infamously loved by the BA community.
Ben was a member and lifetime deacon of Immanuel Baptist Church, where he served as a Sunday school teacher for 35 years. Ben and his wife Jenny spent many happy years with their children and friends, traveling and spending time in the spring and summers at Rock Island and Amelia Island, Florida. His later life revolved around his family, whom he considered a great blessing from God. He loved his family, friends and teammates and was always a source of great support and care for them. Special thanks goes to Teresa Suedekum and her amazing team of caregivers.
A funeral service will be held at Immanuel Baptist Church at 222 Belle Meade Boulevard on Sunday, November 3 at 2 pm, with visitation in the church parlor prior to the service from 1-2 pm. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/nashville-tn
To honor his memory, donations may be given to Immanuel Baptist Church, Brentwood Academy or Vanderbilt University.
For more obituaries visit https://davidsoncountysource.com/obituaries/
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