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David's obituary

David Garth Rowley was born on February 7, 1944 in Moab, Utah and departed this realm on September 14, 2022.

A funeral and celebration of his life will be held at 12pm Noon on Monday, September 26th at the Latter-Day Saint (LDS) Chapel in Meadow, Utah. A graveside burial service will be held immediately after, at the Meadow, Utah Cemetery where his remains will be laid to rest.

We are inviting everyone who knew him or whose lives were touched by him, to send a typed or handwritten letter of your fond memories. Letters may be sent via email to iam@jaylynbrannon.com, or to PO Box 544, Littlefield, AZ 86432. They will be compiled into a book of remembrance in his honor.

David was born to Lawrence Wilbur and Ila (Wright) Rowley. David was a great lover of the outdoors and lived and logged the mountains of Central and Southern Utah during his childhood and teen years with his family. He was an accomplished hunter and outdoorsman with a deep love of animals.

He attended Millard High School in Fillmore, UT where he played the tuba for the High School marching band. He also loved playing basketball and played for the LDS Church and other community basketball teams and coached those teams for many years, including playing for the National tournament in New Zealand.

At the age of eighteen, David served a mission for the Latter-day Saint Church in New Zealand, where he served as a Zone Leader.

David was united in marriage to Barbara Lyman of Salt Lake City, Utah on March 18, 1966. They celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary this year. They were blessed with four children: Krishna Ann, David Garth II, Jaylyn, and Brandon Lyman, through which he was further blessed with six grandchildren: Tanner Gregory, Brandon Michael, Stetson Michael, Checotah Shaun Tae, Justice Bronco, and Trientae Renee Catharina. He is also survived by his siblings: Kathleen, Lawrence, Leslie, Mary Lou, Ernest, and Lois.

David attended Stevens Henager College, and the University of Utah in Accounting and Computer Science. David worked in Business Management, Finance, and Computers for the majority of his career. He programmed the first personal computer in the Pacific Northwest for NCR corporation and wrote what is likely the first accounting software in existence. David was a natural leader and businessman, and worked his way up to Corporate CEO of Melco Labs, Inc., an international telecommunications corporation. He later became a partner in a gold mine venture in Nevada and traveled to Panama to open it on a new exchange. He later was invited to be the President of the new Global Stock Exchange and opened it in Panama. His integrity and his meticulous work ethic provided him the opportunity to be instrumental in shutting down what was then the largest securities fraud in the history of the world at that time. During his time in Panama, David was also taken hostage from the Marriott Hotel during the U.S. Invasion of Panama. David was returned to his family after his hostage situation on Christmas Eve of 1989.

David owned many businesses and eventually retired from business management and entrepreneurship and took a position teaching college full-time. He taught Computer Science and Business at Stevens Henager College and Dixie State University, and served as the Dean of the Computer Science department of Stevens Henager in St. George, Utah. He influenced the lives of so many and was loved and adored by countless students who reached out to him over the years, long after they'd graduated and left the program. David's commitment to serving others was evident in everything he did. He was an example of generosity, selfless service and self-sacrifice to his family, his community, and to all those who came in contact with him.

Please consider a donation to his memorial fund to cover funeral and related expenses.

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Memories & condolences

Met Dave in 1989 in Panama. We maintained a beautiful friendship until now. We use to e-mailed each other often. Will b…
Met Dave in 1989 in Panama. We maintained a beautiful friendship until now. We use to e-mailed each…
Met Dave in 1989 in Panama. We maintained a beautiful friendship…

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David Rowley