Robert “Bob” Rowlands passed away on September 5, 2026 in Madison, WI.

Born in Trail, British Columbia, Canada, in 1936, he was the younger son of Edward “Ted” Howell Rowlands and Eda May Rowlands, née Randall. He was predeceased by his parents, his brother, Mervyn, and his wife of 59 years, Mary “Roma” Rowlands, née Ranaghan.

Bob is remembered by his sons, Philip Rowlands and his wife, Marianne, of Stoughton, Wisconsin, and Ted Rowlands and his wife, Erica, of Milton, Georgia; and by his grandchildren, Sean, Katie, Madison, and Cosette.

As a teenager in Trail, Bob spent many happy partial summers at Camp Koolaree near Nelson, British Columbia, memories that remained dear to him throughout his life. He earned a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in 1959 and later received a PhD in Theoretical & Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, in 1967.

He worked for the Powell River Co. in British Columbia during the summers of 1956 through 1958 and again after graduating in 1959. Bob and Roma met at the tennis courts in Powell River, British Columbia, and were married in Vancouver in 1959.

Following his doctorate, Bob was employed by the IIT Research Institute in Chicago from 1967 until 1975, when he joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering. He became a Full Professor in 1979. During his distinguished academic career, he supervised 27 PhD students and 12 MS thesis students, authored or co-authored more than 200 technical publications, and served as Director of the Wisconsin Structures and Materials Testing Laboratory from 1984 to 1990. He also received numerous international technical awards and was a Fellow of several technical societies.

His professional travels took him widely around the world, often with Roma by his side. He also valued family life deeply, spending many hours at school events, Boy Scouts, the ice rink, ball diamond, ski hill, and camping with his family. He loved time at the cabin on Lake Mason in Briggsville, Wisconsin.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on September 11, 2026, at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, 602 Everglade Rd., Madison, WI. Visitation will begin at the church at 10:30 a.m. and continue until the Mass at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow next to his wife at Resurrection Cemetery in Madison. In lieu of flowers, please plant a tree at your location of choice.

Bob's service will be live-streamed. Please click on the following link: Live Stream

Please share your memories of Bob by posting in his guestbook

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

3610 Speedway Road Madison

(608) 238-3434