Obituary of Leon E. Rowe

Leon "Sam" Rowe passed away at his home on February 25, 2023. Sam was born in Gilbertsville on March 15, 1939 to James and Wilma (Blankley) Rowe. He was one of twelve children and remained in the Butternut Valley his entire life. He attended Gilbertsville Central School where he excelled at football and basketball. For many years Sam was a relief milker for farms in the area, worked for Agway in Mt.Upton for over 30 years delivering feed before becoming the assistant manager of the store, and later went to work at At-A-Glance for a brief time before retirement. After he retired he ran Copes Corners Park with his wife and son, Barry, for 12 years. Sam enjoyed camping, trips to the casino, watching Syracuse basketball, and spending time with his family and friends. He was "Mr. Fix It," and would offer a helping hand to anyone in need. He was always making people laugh and loved to pick on his grandkids. He had a heart of gold and could befriend anyone he came into contact with. To know him was to love him. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Beverly; children Mike Rowe, Barry Rowe, Lori (Chris) Corna, Dwayne Lockwood, and Lorraine (John) Brooks; siblings Jean Smith, Linda Rowe, Cheryl (Bob) Loomis, Deb (Don) Miller, Ronnie (Susie) Rowe and Jerry (Pat) Rowe; sisters in law CeCe Rowe, Evelyn Rowe, Linda Rowe, and Evelyn (Melvin) Sutton; brothers in law Floyd (Beatrice) Spencer, and Gary Spencer, as well as many nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, son Randy, father and mother-in-law Bernice & Virginia Spencer, brothers Lester, Alan (Joyce), Bob (Joanne), John, Lyle, and Douglas, brother in law Roger Smith, sister in law Susan Spencer, and his daughters in law Maria Calamia and Lorraine Rowe. Per his wishes there will be no services. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 10, 2023 from 12:00noon to 4:00pm at Copes Corners Park. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Gilbertsville Emergency Squad or the Delaware Valley Humane Society.