Obituary of Verne Pug Rowe

Verne "Pug" Allen Rowe, III, age 60, died unexpectedly on Saturday, December 29, 2012 at Maine General Medical Center's Critical Care Unit due to a brief but severe bout of influenza pneumonia. His death was attended by his sister, Cheryl and her husband, the Rev. Thomas DeRaps. We praise God that the Rev. DeRaps was able to pray over Pug just before he quietly slipped away; absent from the body and now present with the Lord. Pug was born in Augusta, Maine on July 25, 1952, the eldest son of Verne Allen Rowe Jr. and Lorraine A. (Parkhurst) Rowe. Pug grew up in the Farmingdale/Hallowell area and attended schools there. He got his GED and then went on to get an Associate Degree in Business. He resided as an adult in the Augusta/Gardiner area and was most recently residing at Capital City Manor in Augusta and very much enjoyed being there. Pug was always an avid reader and book collector, and he also loved his classical rock and roll albums which he saved and treasured. He read the Bible daily and even delved into writing his own special daily Bible studies. He enjoyed his weekly "scratch" tickets, and often shared his winnings with friends and family. Pug spent his adult life in an unassuming manner and devoted most of it to caring for his daughters, 29 year old Natalie Rowe and 25 year old Jessica Rowe, alongside their mother (his ex-wife and best friend), Barbara Batchelder. He loved dearly his 2 year old granddaughter, Faith, of Jessica, and Faith's father and Jessica's boyfriend, Christopher Bell. Pug's close friends called him "Dad" because of his caring and generous nature and "Dad" will be greatly missed by them. "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord" (1 Corinthians 5:8). When a believer such as Pug leaves this world, he goes immediately to be in the presence of Christ. There is no "soul sleep" or immediate waiting place nor does the Bible teach that there is any place called purgatory. 1 Corinthians 5:8 indicates that when we are absent from the body which "sleeps" until the resurrection, a believer's spirit is present with the Lord. The Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:10 further says that Christ died for his people, that whether we are physically awake (alive) or physically asleep (dead) as believers we are with Christ. So yes, we can believe that Pug is still with his Savior. A poem to our dearest Pug, As we honor your memory, it's still hard to believe that you have gone and we must grieve. We call out your name but there's no reply; and we are left here to wonder "why"? Perhaps regret is what some of us feel today if the words "I love you Pug" we didn't get to say. And tho' the music of the angels awake you from your "sleep", our hearts still yearn, our eyes still weep. So dare we believe in that "better place" and that you now rest in God's loving embrace? Can it be true what they say of time healing grief? Is it enough when they say death has given you relief? there are two important things that we now know; for awhile we had you to love, and now we must let you go. but in the midst of our discouragement we can rejoice, for in a whisper from above will come your voice, "It's okay to cry, and I know we had to part but as long as you remember me, I will live in your heart." We'll miss you Pug! Pug was predeceased by his father in 2002, and by both his maternal and paternal grandparents. He is survived by his daughters and their mother, the one granddaughter; siblings, Patti and Richard Bouchard, Mark Rowe, Wayne Rowe, Cheryl and Thomas DeRaps, Cindy Webb and Glenn and Tracy Rowe; several nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews, aunts and uncles and a great aunt and uncle. Per Pug's request he will be cremated and there will be no services. Donations in his name may be made to Capital City Manor. His family would like to thank the staff at Capital City Manor, Motivational Services and the Critical Care Unit at Maine General for their wonderful care of our brother, father, friend, cousin, nephew and uncle Pug.