Obituary: Rebecca Jane Carter Rowland
Rebecca Jane Carter Rowland passed from her earthly home on Saturday, June 14, 2025. She was born to Lewis and Vera Mae Dixon Carter on July 4, 1931, in Ripley, Mississippi. She was one of five children.
Jane married Waymon Cecil “Pete” Rowland on June 25, 1956, and he preceded her in death on January 27, 2023.
Jane and Pete lived in Ripley, Mississippi, and welcomed the birth of their daughter who, with Jane’s two sons, completed their family. In early 1964, they moved to Bolivar, Tennessee. Shortly after they moved to Bolivar, Jane began working at Hardeman Garment Factory. A few years later, she began working at Bolivar Electric Department. She retired from Bolivar Electric Department (BED, now Bolivar Energy Authority – BEA) in September 1990, after more than 20 years of work. She made many lifelong friends at BED.
She became a member of First Baptist Church soon after moving to Bolivar and was very active at the church, especially in Women’s Missions.
After retiring and with a close group of friends, she volunteered in resident activities at Pine Meadows Nursing Home.
She was a loving daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother whose greatest job in life was to spend time with her family.
Services will be held at Shackelford Funeral Home on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at 2 p.m. in Bolivar with the burial in the Bolivar Memorial Cemetery.
Survivors include her two sons, Larry Gay (Jimmie) of Ripley, Mississippi, and Gerald Gay of Bolivar; daughter, Nita Woods (Robert) of Bolivar; five grandchildren, Lorie Gay Null (Steve), Larry Lewis Gay, Lisa Gay Calhoun (Thomas), Heath Gay, and Brianna Gay Dorris (Matthew); eight great grandchildren, Jeremy Gates (Krystal), Eva Null, Catherine Calhoun, Caroline Calhoun, Addie Gay, Ellie Rose Gay, Thad Dorris, and Teddy Dorris; and two great great grandchildren, Alayna and Montana Gates.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased in death by her two brothers, Gene Carter and Donald Carter; two sisters, Nora Davis and Sylvia Barkley; and a daughter-in-law, Jackie Walls Gay.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations can be made to the Bolivar First Baptist Church – Renovation Fund.
Courtesy of Shackelford Funeral Directors, Bolivar, Tennessee.
Read more obituaries by clicking here.
Stay informed on what’s happening in Hardeman County by following Hatchie Press on Facebook and subscribing to Hatchie Press e-mail updates.
