Obituary of Anne Elizabeth Rowe

Anne E. (McGee) Rowe a woman who loved her family and was active in local politics passed away on Friday, November 26, 2021.  She was 91 years old.  Anne was born and raised in Marlborough.  She was one of four daughters born to Walter and Minnie McGee.  She was a graduate of Marlborough High School.  She worked as a waitress to put herself through school, being the first in her family to go to college. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Education from Framingham State.  She worked for three years as a teacher in the Shrewsbury school system before becoming a mother and devoting herself to her growing family.

Anne was a watchful and caring mother.  She loved children, especially babies.  She was protective of her children.  She wanted her children to become responsible adults and loving parents and was always there to guide them and share her wisdom with them.  She loved being a grandmother and great grandmother.  She was just a phone call away whenever her children needed a helping hand or babysitter.  She was strong, fiercely independent, and always thought about others.  She had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh.

She volunteered at her children’s schools and ran for a Town Meeting seat in her precinct.  She loved her community and was a very vocal Burlington Town Meeting member for three decades.  She wanted to protect the community from over development, traffic entering neighborhoods, the water supply, and wanted the town to be fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ dollars. In the 1970s, she joined forces with her neighbors to protect what is now conservation land on Muller Road.  They actually stood in front of bulldozers to stop development. She often spoke at Town Meeting, wrote letters to the editor expressing her views, and always remained true to her values and concerns.   For many years, she worked the polls during local and national elections.  Anne was always thinking of what she thought was best for Burlington and its residents.  Burlington residents have lost a strong advocate and Anne’s children have lost a strong role model and a loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. 

Anne was the beloved wife of the late Allan J. Rowe.  She was the loving and supportive mother of Kathleen McElaney of Warwick, RI, Michael Rowe & his wife Donna of Clearwater, FL, William Rowe & his wife Susan of Middletown, NJ, Mary Rowe of Cambridge, Patrick Rowe & his wife Paula of Chelmsford, and Carolyn Rowe of Burlington.  She was the sister of Carol McGee of Wells, Maine, the late Mary Auger and late Jean Sneddon.  Anne was the proud grandmother of Sarah Berry, Colin McElaney, Michael Rowe, Lauren Kemler, Carmalina Rowe, Justina Perro, Stephen Rowe, Katie Rowe, Aaron Rowe, and Hayley Rowe.  She was the great grandmother of Eli Kemler, Lilah Kemler, Layla Rowe, Weston and Sienna Perro. 

Funeral services will be private. 

Memorials in Anne’s name may be made to Massachusetts General Hospital, https://giving.massgeneral.org/donate, care of Mass General Development Office, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114-1101