Martha Rowley

Martha Rowley, 88, died October 1, 2026, in Johnston, Iowa. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, October 9, 2026, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Urbandale, Iowa. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. A second memorial service will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lakewood, Colorado at 10:00 AM on Monday, October 19, 2026, with visitation beginning at 9:00 AM. Martha’s ashes will be interred next to her husband, Neal Rowley, at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.

Martha was born Martha Carolyn Prusait on September 8, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois to Dr. Walter and Leona (Schupmann) Prusait. At 22 months old she lost her only sibling, her brother Morton, who was almost 4 years old. She also lost her son Jonathan in 1984 when he was 21. She looks forward to meeting them in heaven!

Martha attended Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Chicago. Upon her confirmation, her chosen verse was John 3:16. She went to Luther North High School. After graduating from high school, she went to Evanston Hospital School of Nursing and became a registered nurse (RN). During that time, she met her husband, who was attending Northwestern University, at a dance. She dated Neal for 2 years and they were married on March 21, 1959, in Chicago.

After college graduation Martha and Neal moved to Syracuse, New York where their first son Christopher was born. Next, they moved to Arizona so Neal could work on the first computers that were introduced. Two sons were born there, Mark and Jonathan. Next, they moved to Minnesota and had a fourth son, David. Note the pattern! The next move was to San Diego where they had the blessing of adopting a daughter, Laura, yes, a girl! Her family was complete.

Next, they moved to Colorado so Neal could work at Storage Tech. Neal’s wonderful mother, Grace, lived with the family for about 20 years until she passed away in God’s country, Colorado.

We finally found our permanent home at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lakewood, Colorado! Martha went back to school and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN). She had the joy of taking care of moms and babies for 19 years.

As Martha transitioned into retirement, she became very active at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. After working every other weekend at the hospital (the patients don’t go home on Fridays and show up again on Monday) she had the pleasure of being able to attend church every Sunday. What a blessing!

Martha had a particular love for Stephen’s Ministry and was a leader and Stephen’s minister for about 40 years. This is a listening ministry and God used Martha to help countless people through many trials over those years. Even though she was not formally part of Stephen’s Ministry in later years, she was still a great listener and still loved to help others. She was very caring and made friends very easily.

In 2024 she moved to Iowa to be close to Mark. She became greatly loved at her assisted living facility, to a great extent because she loves and listens to people.

Her parents both divorced and remarried so she had two sets of stepparents. She was preceded in death by her parents and stepparents, her brother, her husband Neal (she was married to him for 57.5 years), and her son Jonathan.

Martha was a great wife, mom, grandma, and great grandma. She is survived by her children: Christopher (Valerie), Mark (Terry), David (Dulce), and Laura Rowley Pankratz (Chris). She is also survived by her adopted sisters, Brenda Eddington and Cheryl Nowakowski; her grandchildren: Shannon, Alison, Zach (Lindsey), Mary, Adrian, Haley, and Christian; and her great-grandchildren: Emma, Kylen, Vera, and Tammy.

Memorials may be made to Bethlehem Lutheran Church at 2100 Wadsworth Boulevard, Lakewood, Colorado or www.bethlehemdenver.com. Online condolences are welcome at www.IlesCares.com. Arrangements by Iles Westover Chapel.