William "Bill" Edward Rowe
William "Bill" Edward Rowe, M.D. passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, on March 12, 2021. He was 90.
Bill was a kind and gentle spirit. His life was never about himself. As a doctor, he was known for his attentiveness and warm bedside manner, treating each patient as he would a member of his own family. During his practice—and later, in retirement—he made hospital rounds simply to check in on friends. He never forgot a birthday, put everyone around him at ease, and was grateful for each moment spent with the people he loved. Those who knew Bill often said he was the epitome of a Southern Gentleman.
Born on February 7, 1931, in Georgetown, S.C., Bill was the oldest of nine children. At the age of 10, he knew he wanted to be a doctor and serve others, but paying for college and medical school was a difficult proposition.
As a high school student, young Billy Rowe got to know Gov. James F. Byrnes, who had served as Secretary of State under President Truman and as a Supreme Court Justice. Gov. Byrnes and his wife—Mom and Pop—were unable to have children, so they started a scholarship foundation for aspiring young people who had lost a parent. Bill was not eligible for a scholarship because his parents were living, but Gov. Byrnes liked Bill, so he reached out to his good friend, Bernard Baruch. Mr. Baruch was a wealthy financier who had served as an advisor to six U.S. Presidents and grew up near Georgetown. After meeting Bill, Mr. Baruch gave a modest amount to Gov. Byrnes to help pay for Bill’s college and medical school through the foundation. Bill became a member of the first class of Byrnes Scholars in 1949, and he was the oldest Byrnes Scholar at the time of his death.
Bill attended the University of South Carolina, was in the Navy ROTC and served as a senate page in the SC State House. After graduating, he served as a communications officer aboard the USS Lake Champlain during the Korean War. He continued to serve in the Naval Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve for many years. The Navy was dear to him, and he was always seen with a Navy pin on his sport coat.
During his time in the Navy, he met a beautiful young lady in Norfolk, Va., named Virginia Dare Massey. After a six-month courtship, the two married in Charlottesville on Sept. 18, 1954, and have been happily married for more than 66 years. Bill loved Virginia just as much today as the day he met her. He couldn’t have been the man he was without her love and support.
Once the Korean War ended in 1955, Bill attended the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston and earned his Doctor of Medicine in 1959. At that time, he came to Chattanooga for his internship and surgical residency at Erlanger Hospital. In 1963, he went to the Lahey Clinic in Boston for his fellowship.
In 1964, Bill returned to Chattanooga with his wife and children and entered private practice. During the 1990s, he joined University Surgical Associates (USA) and worked with them until 2005, when he retired from surgery at the age of 74. But his passion for medicine and serving others remained until his death. For several years, he was a Clinical Instructor at USA’s Clinic for the Uninsured. Dr. Steve Dreskin kindly offered him a position with Tennessee Valley Pain Management in 2008, and he worked with them until his death. He was very fond of Dr. Dreskin and his staff for giving him the opportunity to continue working in the profession he loved.
He served the following organizations: Erlanger Hospital (Teaching Staff), AMA, TMA (Legislative Committee), Southern Medical Association, Southeastern Surgical Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Board of Trustees of East Ridge Hospital (Chairman of the Board), East Ridge Hospital (Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery), Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society (President, Secretary, Treasurer, Chairman of the Legislative Committee, Foundation Board), Memorial Hospital (Credentialing Committee) and the Medical University of South Carolina (Board of Visitors). He was instrumental along with East Ridge City Manager Gene Drakeford and Dr. Dick Royal in getting the East Ridge Hospital built in the 1970s and served as the hospital’s first chief of staff. Over his career, he trained many physicians through his affiliation with the UT College of Medicine.
Most dear to him was the Byrnes Foundation where he served on the board since 1989, as Treasurer and President. He wanted to give so many the educational opportunity that Bernard Baruch and Mom and Pop Byrnes had given to him. To date, the Byrnes Foundation has awarded nearly 2,000 scholarships.
Dr. and Mrs. Rowe have been members of First Baptist Church since 1960, where he was a member of the Waters Class.
He was preceded in death by his son, Ted, parents, Andrew and Mildred Rowe, brothers, Donnie and Harold, sisters, Ethel, Dot and Catherine, and son-in-law, Ken Royal.
He is survived by his wife, Virginia Rowe; daughter, Ebbie (George) Cruddas of Jacksonville, N.C.; son Chris (Barbaranelle) Rowe of Chattanooga; three brothers, David (Lucille) and Ricky (Roberta) of Georgetown, S.C. and Dennis (Lorraine)of Murrells Inlet, S.C.; five grandchildren: Austin Royal, Bill Rowe, Clayton Andrew Rowe, Elizabeth Rowe and Caroline Rowe; and great-granddaughter, Carter Royal.
The family would like to give special thanks to physicians Mark Heinsohn and Bill Warren for their care over the years, to George Culver and the team at Hospice of Chattanooga, and to Earline Hudgins, along with Sandra Banks and Tonia Hudgins, for their excellent, loving care of our entire family. They were gifts from God, and we are forever in their debt.
The funeral service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on March 19, at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. All friends are welcome to attend. All CDC Covid-19 mandates will be observed including wearing of masks and social distancing. For those unable to attend the service please join us on Facebook live at https://www.fb.com/ChattanoogaNorthChapel or go to the funeral website www.chattanooganorthchapel.com and click on the livestream link.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the James F. Byrnes Foundation, Post Office Box 6781, Columbia, SC 29260-6781 https://www.byrnesscholars.org/ or First Baptist Church, 401 Gateway Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37402.
Arrangements are under the care of the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson.
Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com