James 'Jim' C. Rowell, Jr.

Jim was born June 17, 1958 in Shreveport, LA to James Chester and Sandra Gail Foster Rowell. Jim was raised in Naples, FL and graduated from Naples High School in 1976 where he played on the tennis team and wore the Eagles mascot costume at football games. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Florida in 1982. While at UF he worked as a crew person for the local McDonalds, was quickly promoted, and eventually offered a Management position that he declined in order to finish his degree. Upon graduation, the Tampa Region of McDonald’s Corporation offered him a position where Jim quickly earned a management position and successfully turned around distressed restaurants by employing his unique styles in what became known as “Rowell’s Renegades.” In 1988 Jim was promoted to Regional Supervisor, and in 1991 he was promoted to Business Consultant for the New Orleans region. In 1997 he transferred to the Seattle Region as Business Consultant for the state of Montana. Jim was a gifted trainer and motivator and was well liked and respected by those with whom he worked. In 1993 on a ski trip to Jackson Hole, he met his wife, Marise Cotton, originally from Panama City, Florida who had moved to Jackson Hole two-weeks prior from New Orleans. They hit it off and were married on March 18, 1995, receiving their greatest gift in life in December 2002 with the birth of their daughter, Crystal Marise. They began their marriage living in the New Orleans area until 1997 when Marise returned to Jackson Hole and Jim transferred to the Seattle Region to commute from Jackson to work with Montana operators. In 1999 they eventually settled in Bozeman where Jim served the Montana operators until his termination from McDonalds on October 2007 due to illness-related complications. In November 2007 Jim began working at Vann’s Electronics & Appliances until January 2009 when his illness had become more evident. Jim was eventually diagnosed with Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) on June 25, 2009, one week after his 51st birthday. Jim enjoyed life with an optimistic spirit and fun-loving attitude. He enjoyed tennis, golf, skiing, cooking, fine wines and microbrews, music, movies, TiVo, computers, and anything electronic “gadget.” For what ever Jim developed an interest, he learned as much as he could and loved to share it with others. Jim was also a huge sports fan, particularly for the Florida Gators and the SEC. He followed the Atlanta Braves prior to their move from Milwaukee in 1966 and loved baseball. He also enjoyed the NFL as a loyal fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played Fantasy Football. While he enjoyed college basketball, he was not a fan of the NBA due to its promotion of individual players rather than teams. His father, James Chester Rowell of Naples, FL preceded Jim in death. Survivors include his wife Marise of Bozeman; daughter Crystal of Bozeman; mother Sandra Gail Amaral of Palmetto, FL, and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives. Two memorial services will be held in Jim’s honor. The first will be held in Bozeman, MT at Dahl Funeral Chapel at 2pm on Saturday November 17th. The second will be held in Palmetto, FL at Tree Lakes Resort Clubhouse at 2pm on Saturday December 29th. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name to the James C. Rowell Jr. Memorial Fund at Wells Fargo Bank, P.O. Box 370, Bozeman Montana, 59771-0370.