Matthew Joseph Rowan, 89, passed away peacefully at his home in Turlock, Calif. on Sept. 30, 2015.
He was born Jan. 22, 1926 in Artesian to Edward and Elizabeth Rowan. At the age of 10, he moved to the nearby town of Woonsocket, where he enjoyed a happy childhood with his parents and two brothers, Thomas and Frederick. Growing up in Woonsocket during the Dustbowl Era, presented many challenges. During this period, Matthew learned the importance of energetic hard-work, having a positive outlook, and possessing a friendly manner, which all greatly shaped his personality. Woonsocket remained a special place in Matthew’s heart throughout his life.
Matthew, as a loving Husband, Father and Granddad is survived by his wife, Alice Rowan; children, Denise Rowan, Matthew (Teri) Rowan, Thomas Rowan, Regina (Brian) Bowyer and David (Shannon) Rowan. He also leaves behind grandchildren, Mary Rowan, Elizabeth Rowan, Grace Simko, Paige Rowan, Brian Bowyer, Sydney Rowan, Rowan Bowyer and Michael Rowan, as well as many nieces and nephews who were dear to him.
Matthew was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, and children, Michael Joseph Rowan and Theresa Anne Rowan.
Recitation of the Rosary was held at 6 p.m. on
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015 at Allen Mortuary in Turlock. A visitation was held prior to the Rosary from 5 to 6 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church in Turlock on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015 at 10 a.m. Private burial will follow at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.

Movers and Shakers
From the time of childhood to an adult, the world is full of warnings of dangers you need to steer clear of: be good or Santa won’t give you a present; don’t let black cats cross your path or you’ll have bad luck; don’t eat too many sweets or you’ll get diabetes. Yet, never once did I get the heads up about “stuff.”
All of your life you accumulate favorite items that you surround yourself with and enjoy. (I figure I have a good 40 years under my belt, easily.) Then comes the dreaded moving day when you have to dismantle your life. Suddenly you are confronted with “stuff.”
After two hours of packing and carrying boxes down the stairs, I quickly realized the error of my ways. Having over 30 pairs of blue jeans and three closets full of clothes added to my misery. (Denim is my downfall.) After four hours, what I had once considered prized possessions I found I had developed an intense dislike for.
At the end of the day, I viewed that storage shed full of my belongings, and I would have preferred to throw a bomb inside and destroy it all. I told Gay, “It’s pretty sad when you look and all you can think is 75 percent of this will go to the next rummage sale.” My so-called precious items were now a burden.
Now I notice all these handy de-clutter tips in magazines. One said you should pick up each item in your house and if it doesn’t feel “magical,” get rid of it. Esther’s hint—if you buy an item of clothing, you must remove one. Georgia says you should know where to find anything in your house if someone asks for it.
Now I understand the signs that say “Simplify.” I can live with just a coffee pot, a wineglass, some clothes and the love of family and friends.
Tuning in to “Hoarders,”
– Dee Baby

So in the wake of last week’s shooting at Harrisburg High School, I see that “gun violence” has finally arrived in our sleepy South Dakota schools. Now that it’s real — that it’s really possible in this, our formerly protected rural bubble — let’s talk about it for real.
You might have noticed I place “gun violence” in quotes. I do that for a reason. Everyone, especially the liberal media and politicians, are quick to use this phrase, but few stop to think about what they’re actually saying. “Gun violence” makes the absolute inference that the gun is undoubtedly to blame.
Due to media overcoverage, the term itself, “school shooting,” immediately puts into mind the sight of a dark, trench-coated, strung-out looking student strutting into a school and opening fire with a military-style AK. Of course, mental illness, the evil NRA and automatic and semi-automatic weapons and their necessity in the hands of the civilian public, are immediately bullet points (no pun intended) in the mind’s eye, because the media has placed them there. That’s what the anti-gunners want us to picture, so they run their mouths until these and others are catchwords.
I speak with confidence when I say the majority of the American public, including the blabbering media heads, don’t have a clue what a semi-automatic weapon is — nor do they understand the difference between fully- and semi-automatic — which is perfect. They feed on ignorance.
Therefore, when the words “school shooting” come across the news, certain images, words and ideas will sail through our programmed minds.
Now begins the blame game. We know where the left stands, they no longer even take a moment of respectable silence. Hours after the most recent incident in Oregon, our current president made what the media called an “impassioned” speech on gun control.
Using a tragic event to further your own agenda used to be called tasteless.
Contrary to popular belief, this problem is by no means new. It did not start in 1998 in Loveland, Colo. However, the numbers of gun free zone shootings have undoubtedly increased in recent years in this country, and the blame has gotten placed on everything from violent video games, to media sensationalism, to mental illness, and of course, the number one target are the guns themselves — those clever little guns that pick themselves up, load themselves with bullets, point their barrels at people and pull their own triggers.
The media, with the obvious exception of FoxNews, hates it when someone mentions the fact that these things only happen in gun free zones. Most definitely no one wants to talk about the real cause… yet I think a lot of people know what it is if they’re honest with themselves. In this PC country we’ve created, no one has enough cajones left to say it.
The problem ladies and gentlemen, is YOU.
The current child-rearing generation is a giant disaster. The definition of parenting has been completely stripped down to the basic ability to create a child and from there becomes … well, whatever you want it to be, because God forbid you’re offended. God forbid anyone “tell you how to raise your kids.” Except the problem is, no one has, and someone should — to hell with your unique and precious sensibilities. Oh, and yes I say “God” forbid. Allah, be damned.
Nope, I do not have kids, but yes, I’m telling you that you’re not doing yours any favors with your exaggerated praise, your participation trophies, your second, third and fourth chances. When you march down to the school to ream out a mean, (underpaid, underappreciated, overworked) teacher who picks favorites and picks on your kids, you are ruining your child’s future.
Consequences exist. Failure exists. Sorrow, humiliation, rejection, depression, pain and evil exist. There are no acceptable excuses — for anything. The sooner these things are realized the sooner and more effectively one can deal with them.
Your child WILL FAIL, because someday you won’t be there to make it all better. Someday you won’t be able to blame someone else for their screw ups; someday they’ll do something that you can’t fix for them. Then what?
Sorry to burst your bubble, but your child is not the “best” at anything. In fact there’s about a 99.9 percent chance your child is not special in any way. He or she is probably mediocre at best and that’s all. To be anything else in this world they will have to scrape and struggle and sacrifice for every inch. But they won’t, because they can’t; because parenting has been given an alternate definition by this don’t-hurt-anyone’s-feelings society. The word is no longer recognizable.
No, I’m not a parent. But I was PARENTED, so I still know a little something about it. My parents were not my friends growing up, nor were they the least bit concerned that they weren’t “cool.” When I did something wrong, I feared the consequences, from parents and teachers, because there was zero chance my parents would ever place the blame anywhere but squarely on me.
This is just how it was, remember? It wasn’t all that long ago. Growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s (and before) schools did not need to be “gun free zones,” and they most definitely were not. Most days riding to school in my brother’s pickup, there was at least one gun in the vehicle… if not two, because you never knew when you’d need a shotgun and when you’d need a rifle. There was zero problem parking that pickup on school grounds, door unlocked, with gun in plain sight.
Fights and problems between students and between students and teachers occurred then too, yet NO ONE considered the idea of getting one of those guns involved.
What we now have is not a gun problem. It’s a people problem.
Now, before you get all wound up, obviously I’m not talking about every person to ever bear children. Some of you are doing a pretty darn good job – and while there might be more good parents in this particular area than in other places, unfortunately, as each year passes, I see fewer of you and more of the other guy. As a rule of thumb, if you wonder if there’s even a small chance I might be talking about you, I probably am.
Until a significant societal shift occurs in the opposite direction we’re now headed, we will continue to see these shootings. Play the blame game all you want, but know this: kids need PARENTS. They don’t need more friends, but they do need you. Your job isn’t done when they reach a certain age; it’s never done.
Let’s start calling a spade a spade and put the blame where it belongs so we can begin to solve this problem. We are digging our own mass graves here, people.
“The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation.”
– Adolf Hitler,
“Mein Kampf”