Peter Rowley (23 Oct 1942 - 23 Sep 2019)

In loving memory of Peter Rowley who sadly passed away on 23rd September 2019

Peter Rowley - A son’s perspective

I will always associate the smell of solder on a soldering iron with dad. Fixing TV circuit boards for extra money at home when he returned from his job in the RAF when we lived in London.
I must have been 5 years old. My Umbilical hernia surgery when parents left you in the hospital. Mum and dad bought me an astronaut outfit to help recover.

Dad always loved his technology and music. 1970’s Pioneer Hi-Fi with huge white headphones with dad listening to Simon and Garfunkel, Moody Blues, John Denver, Elton John to name a few.

As a Chief Technician in the RAF , stationed at RAF Uxbridge, RAF Bruggen (Germany) and RAF Newton to name a few we lived as a family of four in various Airman’s married quarters with mum running/ ruling the house and dad going about his RAF business.
Dads family lived in Sheffield and Mums in East Bridgford.
When dad was posted to Germany for three years from RAF Uxbridge I vividly remember mum and dad talking about sending me and my sister to boarding school ( I was 6 1/2). Luckily we got to go to Germany and spent three amazing years being driven off on camping trips in a Simca car with an 8 birth ridge tent. Dad was a fantastic German speaker and always connected with the German communities we experienced.
He loved playing games when camping and at home. The cards always came out for nomination whist, rummy and then the dice for throwing a full house, buck, flop and points. Even scarier was dads competitive nature playing Washington games such as Risk or Escape from Colditz. Dad would always be the prison officer and fall out with everyone.

His squadron worked on the surface to air Bloodhound missiles positioned next to the runway at Bruggen. Myself and dad became lifelong Borussia Monchengladbach football team fans and went to all their home games and often went to see them train. When Borussia played Liverpool in the European Cup of 1977, Dad and I were the only Borussia fans on camp.
To this day Dad has always followed Borussia and to his credit has always had a soft spot for Liverpool FC. He loved his football.
When we returned to the UK in 1978, we lived near the village of Flintham whilst dad finished off his time in the RAF at nearby Newton.
Mum and dad bought the house on Lincoln Road, Newark and dad came out of the RAF into a life of Civil Engineering at Mitchens Engineering of Newark.
Dads passion for football then focussed on my football as I went from Elston village football club to the strongest club in the area, Swinderby Boys FC. He drove me everywhere, managed my boots for me and even planned training programs for me in the back garden. My football was a serious business which he took a very active role in. Dad arranged winter training facilities at RAF swinderby and got the RAF to sponsor the team and provide all players with tracksuits.

...To be continued.

Stuart

Dad, Germany and Norway- The final puzzle complete...

Dad was born in Berlin 1942, to a German mother and a Norwegian father. My German Gran, Dad and dads step father Bill Rowley came back to the UK in 1949.
For years we all presumed that something horrible had happened to dads Norwegian father and my Gran remarried an English sergeant major and came back to the Uk to start a new life in Sheffield in the 1950’s.
Fifteen years ago dad received a phonecall which changed his life forever and answered many of those questions about his real father...

His real father Ola Amundsen had divorced my Gran and gone back to Norway after the war. He remarried and had three children Mette, Trine and Ola Jacob. When Ola passed away in his mid 70’s having never spoken to his Norwegian family about dad, Mette and the family found a photograph in his estate of dad (Peter) in Berlin in the 1940’s.
Mette enlisted the support of a German / Norwegian investigator who eventually tracked my German Gran to Sheffield and phoned her to ask if she could speak to Peter.
My Gran agreed to pass on dads details and Mette and dad spoke for the first time of their father. Mette flew to the Uk to meet dad and couldn’t believe how similar dad looked to her father.
Since this moment, Dad has loved his connection to his Norwegian family. He has regularly visited Mette, Trine and Ola Jacob who have all come to Newark to see dad as have their children and myself , my sister and our children.
Dad never met his biological father but had time with his brother and sisters to learn about the life and character of his father.

The passing of mum...

Mum and dad had several years enjoying trips and visits to and from Norway before mum (10 years ago) was diagnosed with Cancer and after a year of treatment passed away at home.

Dad was never the same without her...x

Newark Nordic Walking

Over the last few years dad would be seen on a daily basis walking around Newark with all his specialist Nordic walking equipment. With mums passing dad had gained weight, exercised little and had ultimately been diagnosed with type II diabetes.
He made many changes to his eating and exercise lifestyle. He featured in an article in the Newark Advertiser for his Nordic walking and new found Norwegian family.
He would be out in all weathers with his Jack Wolfskin technical clothing and always call in to visit mum at the graveyard on London Road and his favourite cafe “Feeling Peckish” on Castlegate.
Surgery for a hernia, total knee replacement and a cataract in the last year did nothing to stop dad persevere with his walking regime.
His last selfie September 2019 was of dad with his poles setting off for a walk.

RIP my father..xx