Marsha Jorah Rowan 1951–2026
Marsha Jorah Rowan, born Marsha Joan Hough, passed away on September 4th, 2026, peacefully with her daughter by her side in her home in Ben Lomond, California at age 75.
Born on August 18th, 1951 in Milan, Michigan, Marsha grew up in Ann Arbor, and attended Allen Park High School. She played baritone in her high school band, and won rifle shooting competitions as a teenager. She got married, received a BA from Eastern Michigan University, moved to California, and hitchhiked across the U.S. in the 70s.
Marsha had a variety of careers such as dental assistant, traveling photographer, fire sprinkler engineer, child caregiver, housekeeper, pet sitter, massage therapist, and sign language aide. In addition to working, she was a landlord, and homeschooled her daughter while raising cats, dogs, bunnies, mice, and birds. She had a wide skillset ranging from yard work to home repair to drawing to crochet to ceramics to playing the guitar. Her hobbies included rock climbing, ancestry research, astrology, tarot cards, reading, word games, sing-alongs, and visiting the Scotts Valley dog park. She was passionate about animals, the environment, forests, and human rights. She played violin with the Peninsula Scottish Fiddlers, and is featured on their “Mists of Montara” CD.
She is survived by her dog Woofie, cats Purrcy and Selena, daughter Nova Mellow, son-in-law Patrick Geib, and fur-grandson Moose; preceded in death by parents Jerome Frank and Winnifred Irene Hough.
She was a supportive and loving friend, mom, and fur parent. Her kindness, intelligence, resourcefulness, independence, and authenticity will be missed.
A memorial celebrating her life will be held at Better Place Forests — Santa Cruz on October 4th, 2026 at 2:30pm. Please RSVP at https://evite.me/PUnBqJrZ6f
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