Angela M. Rowe, 86
Angela M. Rowe, 86, of Acton passed away at Acton Park on March 2, 2026, following a period of declining health. She was the loving and devoted wife of the late Graham W. Rowe, who died in 2020. They were married on April 5, 1969.
She was born on August 8, 1939, as Angela Mary Gay in London, where she survived bombings by the Germans during World War II. She recalled having to run for cover when the sirens went off and was fortunate to survive when the house next to hers was hit and destroyed.
Angie moved to Grahamstown, South Africa, in 1947 after her father accepted an offer to teach science at St Andrew’s, a prestigious boys high school. The Gay family were beloved by the town and the school. Eventually, the family moved into and managed the school alumni house, where they hosted events for the various school athletic teams.
Angie began her professional career as a nurse/midwife in South Africa, where she helped deliver babies for impoverished communities. After moving to the United States in 1979, she was a surgical nurse in Connecticut and New York, working for a well-known plastic surgeon, which afforded her the opportunity to meet a few celebrities.
She became a travel agent after she moved to Acton in 1986. Helping people plan and enjoy wonderful trips became her passion. She eventually purchased Acton Travel, where she worked with her husband until they sold the business in 2018. She was a people person who touched thousands through her work and the many friendships she maintained until her passing.
In addition to her recent years living in Acton, Angie formerly resided in Wilton, Connecticut, Bedford, and Westford.
Angie loved big dogs (German shepherds), travel (although she hated to fly), music, dancing, Zumba, the Patriots, puzzles, reading, baking, cooking, and watching anything her children and grandchildren were doing.
She was kind, warm, welcoming, open, honest, and loyal. There was always room for one more at her table, and she was never short of tea and cookies. If you needed her, she was there. Angela dedicated her whole life to others, whether it was bringing new life into the world and caring for the sick, helping you plan your dream trip or another business trip, or taking care of her family and friends. Angie was selfless in her devotion to the happiness of anyone she cared about. She made friends wherever she went. She was humble, gracious, and grateful with a quick wit, a wicked sense of humor, sometimes a little salty, but always genuine. She honestly believed that “a stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet” — and she lived by those words.
She leaves behind her daughter Cathy Ferreira and her husband Ken of Groton; her son Campbell Rowe and his wife Siobhan of Acton; five grandchildren Luke, Nick, and Caroline Ferreira, and Evan and Brendan Rowe; her brother Andy Gay and his wife Cerize; a sister-in-law Marilyn Murray and her husband Mark; along with her nieces and nephews — Tony Gay, Natasha Collinson, Tim Murray, Kirsty Larkworthy, Nick Murray, and Mandi Maki-Neste.
Family and friends will gather for a memorial service on Saturday, March 28, at 1:30 p.m. in the chapel of Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Angie’s memory to the cancer society/research of your choice and/or Baypath Humane Society of Hopkinton.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Acton. To share a memory or a condolence on Angie’s tribute page, visit DeeFuneralHome.com.
