Jacob Elisha "J.E." Rowe

Jacob Elisha "J.E." Rowe March 13, 1939 - September 13, 2013 Jacob Elisha "J.E." Rowe, Sr., a dedicated family man and Jacksonville native, died Friday afternoon at age 74 surrounded by his loving family. Referred to as a "master motivator", J.E. was an exceptional athlete and coach who had a lifelong passion for sports. In his youth, J.E. lettered in basketball and baseball at Fitzgerald High School in Fitzgerald, Georgia. He went on to play basketball and baseball at Brewton Parker, and then Georgia Southern College, where he earned All-American first team honors in baseball. J.E. had a brief professional baseball career, playing several seasons with both the New York Mets & Los Angeles Dodgers. After a successful high school coaching career, he returned to Georgia Southern where he accepted the head coach position for the Eagles basketball team and compiled a 57-46 record as the Eagles moved to NCAA Division I. J.E. was inducted in the Georgia Southern Athletic Hall of Fame and was named the 2013 Alumnus of the Year of the College Health and Human Sciences. He was a decorated amateur golfer, winning numerous local and state amateur tournaments and carrying a 0 handicap for 20 years. In March of 1993, J.E. underwent his second open heart surgery, and in July came back to win the Gate PGA Open Senior title. He competed in two U.S. Senior Amateur Opens and was the Captain of the Amateur Team for the North Florida PGA Cup Championship, where he led them to back to back victories. In 2011, he retired as a successful business owner. J.E. was a faithful member of Anastasia Baptist Church. J.E. left behind a loving wife, Janice Lee McDaniel Rowe. He was a loving father to five children, Lisa Rowe Lee and her husband John, Barbara Rowe Stewart and her husband Glenn, Allison Combs Pound, Jacob Elisha Rowe, Jr., and his wife Lisa, and Michael Frederick Waglow. He was adored by his nine grandchildren, Whitney Skeeters Mooney and her husband Yancey, Justin Stewart, Mallory Stewart, Win Lee, Kaitlyn Rowe, Lauren Rowe, Addisyn Rowe, Hannah Pound and Zachary Pound. Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at Anastasia Baptist Church with Dr. Walter West and Rev. Ron Moore officiating. Committal services and interment will follow that afternoon at Oaklawn Cemetery in Jacksonville. A visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday at St. Johns Family Funeral Home, 385 State Road 207 in St. Augustine. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Coach J.E. Rowe Scholarship at Georgia Southern University's College of Health and Human Sciences, a scholarship given out on a yearly basis for a high-need student. Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 8073, Statesboro, Ga. 30460. St. Johns Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.