James "Jim" Rowan

Jim left the physical world on May 6th, 2019, closing the final chapter of a life dedicated to social justice and filled with love, public service, and belly laughs. As a dedicated husband, proud father, zealous advocate, and devout member of Our Lady's parish, Jim shaped many lives. He connected with people from every walk of life and often used this gift to defend those in their darkest moments. His presence in the community will be dearly missed and his spirit will not be forgotten. Jim was born on May 25th, 1944, in Oklahoma City to Robert John Rowan and Gussie Lurline Kraft Rowan. As an Army "brat," he lived in many different places in the US and Europe and had a special fondness for his father's hometown of Chicago. Jim graduated from Norman High and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Kansas State University. He joined the US Army where he served for two years before attending the University of Oklahoma College of Law. He was in the Army Judge Advocate General Corps from 1974 to 1982 and earned Jumpmaster status while serving with the 82nd Airborne Division. After leaving the Army, Jim worked as a public defender in Oklahoma County and for the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System in Norman, followed by a brief stint as a solo practitioner. He later returned to his home at the Oklahoma County PD's office where he worked up until the day he died, trying cases and mentoring young lawyers. He received several awards during his legal career and was especially honored to receive the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Lord Erskine Award in 2002. Never shying away from the tough cases, he took more than forty capital cases to trial and saved dozens of lives from the death penalty. Jim's professional work exemplified his moral values. He lived his beliefs through his commitment to social justice organizations and volunteer work with his church. As a founding member of the Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and VOICE, Jim stood up for the underdog and the downtrodden, seeking to do Christ's work even when it was hard or unpopular. Jim met his wife, Sharon (Sherry) Larson Rowan, when he was stationed at Fort Bragg in 1975. They were married the next year and had two children, Sarah and Daniel. Jim was immensely proud of his family, bragging on their accomplishments every chance he got. He was also proud to be a member of the Rowan clan and took great delight in his Irish family traditions, such as storytelling and mischief making. Jim's wisdom, corny jokes, and silly faces will be missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and fans. He was preceded in death by his parents, and is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, and sisters, Patricia Shiloh and Alice Magaha. There will be an evening prayer service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on May 9th, 2019, at 6pm, followed by a reception at 7pm in the church's Connor Center. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady's at 2pm on Friday, May 10th, followed by a burial at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Norman. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty or VOICE.