Rhys John Rowland

Rhys John Rowland passed on from this life on March 11, 2022 in Woodland, California with his devoted wife by his side. He was preceded in death by his father Emlyn Rowland (2006) and mother Arlyn Siegel Rowland (2014). Rhys is survived by his wife Melissa Miller-Henson (Davis, CA), son Tyler Rowland (Denver, CO), brother Alan Rowland (Davis, CA), sister Sarah Rowland and her husband Francois Arrends (Sisters, OR), step-daughter Kristine Hendricks (Fort Bragg, CA), five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Born in Dover, New Jersey on Oct. 22, 1960, he was the youngest of three children. He cut his teeth in Succasunna, NJ before the family moved to Illinois in 1962 for a brief stay. His father was an electrical engineer and accepted a position with IBM in 1963, which brought the family to a newly-built neighborhood of Eichler homes in San Jose, CA that became the family home for 51 years until his mother’s passing. Rhys spent many happy, active years as a youth with family and neighborhood “brothers,” “sisters,” and classmates, with whom he kept in touch most of his life as a fiercely devoted and generous friend. With this neighborhood family he enjoyed adventures in camping, skiing, windsurfing, sailing, hiking and in pursuing basketball and swimming throughout high school and beyond. His passion for sports and the great outdoors were what shaped his future endeavors. Mechanically inclined, Rhys grew up spending time with his father in the garage tinkering with car engines, maintaining boat motors, and meticulously repairing bicycles for himself or others. After graduating Prospect High School in 1978, Rhys pursued a brief career as a bike and ski mechanic, honing his expertise at multiple shops in the San Francisco Bay Area. He became enthusiastic about running and cycling, built himself into a remarkable athlete, and started entering triathlons where he was noted as one of the best up and coming triathletes of that era. He then worked ten years as an inside sales representative for Specialized Bicycles; during this time, he married and had his son, Tyler, a proud moment in his life and the start of a very special father-son bond that he treasured profoundly. While a sales rep, Rhys pursued his academic career, graduating from San Jose State University with a bachelor of science in environmental studies and then pursuing a graduate degree in urban and regional planning. After a couple of internships and almost three years working for the city of San Jose as a park planner, Rhys landed at the city of Davis where he remained for almost 20 years. Initially a planner in community development, he ultimately transitioned to an environmental program specialist in the Public Works, Utilities and Operations Department. His job was to oversee, monitor and protect stormwater quality consistent with federal, state and local environmental regulations, develop policy, train other city staff, and conduct community outreach and education. He loved and admired his “city” family, and his talents were valued wherever he worked. In 2005, Rhys married the love of his life, Melissa, and inherited a large, extended family; he soon became the adored and doting “pops” to the grandchildren. Rhys and Melissa shared a passion for family, friends, animals, protecting the environment, and playing in the great outdoors, especially hiking, camping, and whitewater rafting. Together they guided and rafted rivers in the western U.S. and forged a passionate, active life filled with family, friends, adventures and mischief. An exceptionally caring, passionate, smart and strong human being, Rhys was outspoken and opinionated, but fair. Generous to a fault, he never let his family or friends down and was even known to sit for a conversation with a homeless person before buying them a meal. He lived his life with conviction, grit and tenacity. Even in the face of multiple cancer diagnoses and treatments over more than 25 years, he never gave up trying to keep the upper hand, not even at the end. He assisted others going through similar circumstances to help them process and develop strategies for coping and finding health again. He was loved and adored by many and leaves behind a legacy of respect and dignity for those that knew him. For those who want to honor Rhys, rather than flowers please consider a donation to one of his favorite non-governmental organizations: - People for Bikes - PBS Foundation - Friends of the River - Yolo County SPCA - Yolo County Food Bank - Union of Concerned Scientists A celebration of life is planned for May.