Hello,
First off, if this is not the appropriate place for this my sincerest apologies and if a moderator could put it on the appropriate thread where Dad posted a lot then I would appreciate it. I would like to regrettably inform you that my Father, Edward Rowland, better known as Boomer on here, passed away peacefully on January 9. He had several health problems that dated back to October. Initially he had to have a bypass on his leg to restore blood flow to his foot but unexpectedly blockages were discovered around his heart and he had to have a triple bypass done as well. He had both procedures done but it was one thing after another developing with his health and after another procedure he developed pneumonia. The first time he got out of the hospital okay and was rehabilitating in a nursing home but then the second time he developed it, three weeks later, it sent him into septic shock. He still nearly came out of it even after an unfortunate amputation he had to have during that time. It was when he got out of ICU his oxygen worsened and he went with more of a comfort care focusing on quality of life rather than quantity, which even though we lost him it ended up quite comfortable for him. As tough as this spell was, it says a lot about his toughness that he was even able to survive as long as he did with everything going on the way it was.
I am Tyler, his son and this is my first time frequenting this site. In my short time here I see why Dad loved this place so much. Dad always talked about you and how much he enjoyed getting on here and talking about treasure hunting. He often would take me on treasure hunts with him when I was young and I am glad to have those memories. It seemed like every day he would talk about how he was scanning something in to show on here or even taking an occasional call to talk about history. I deeply appreciate you and what you did for him providing this great discussion opportunity because with him being retired, Mom and I were always trying to get him to stay busy and this was one way, a big way, he enjoyed keeping busy.
To tell you about Boomer and what he was like in real life, he fought in Vietnam and served in the military for a total of 9 years before serving at CSX for nearly 30 years. He re-committed his life to Christ the day before he passed away and was a member at Beech Street Christian Church for many years. He retired from CSX in 2006. Dad overcame big obstacles to get where he did, having to drop out of high school to support his family after his Dad passed away during that time. He had strong medical training through the military and in 1998 helped preserve the life of a Canadian couple who was traveling through West Virginia. When I was young he traveled out of town to work at the headquarters of CSX and on his way back encountered that couple whose van had flipped one and a half times. It flipped after the camper attached to the back of it flipped. In MacGyver-like fashion, he used a pen to blow glass out of the eyes of the husband, stalling his intensive bleeding and calming his wife before the paramedics arrived. The couple ended up surviving the accident after some treatment at the hospital.
Thank you to everyone on this site for the great discussion and opportunity you provided Dad during his retirement years. He enjoyed you and hated that during his time in this hospital he didn't have the energy to be able to access this site consistently. Given Dad's attachment to this site I felt it was appropriate for me to post this and let you know what happened. Thank you for everything and I wish you nothing but the very best.
https://www.steenfuneralhome.com/tributes/Edward-Rowland
First off, if this is not the appropriate place for this my sincerest apologies and if a moderator could put it on the appropriate thread where Dad posted a lot then I would appreciate it. I would like to regrettably inform you that my Father, Edward Rowland, better known as Boomer on here, passed away peacefully on January 9. He had several health problems that dated back to October. Initially he had to have a bypass on his leg to restore blood flow to his foot but unexpectedly blockages were discovered around his heart and he had to have a triple bypass done as well. He had both procedures done but it was one thing after another developing with his health and after another procedure he developed pneumonia. The first time he got out of the hospital okay and was rehabilitating in a nursing home but then the second time he developed it, three weeks later, it sent him into septic shock. He still nearly came out of it even after an unfortunate amputation he had to have during that time. It was when he got out of ICU his oxygen worsened and he went with more of a comfort care focusing on quality of life rather than quantity, which even though we lost him it ended up quite comfortable for him. As tough as this spell was, it says a lot about his toughness that he was even able to survive as long as he did with everything going on the way it was.
I am Tyler, his son and this is my first time frequenting this site. In my short time here I see why Dad loved this place so much. Dad always talked about you and how much he enjoyed getting on here and talking about treasure hunting. He often would take me on treasure hunts with him when I was young and I am glad to have those memories. It seemed like every day he would talk about how he was scanning something in to show on here or even taking an occasional call to talk about history. I deeply appreciate you and what you did for him providing this great discussion opportunity because with him being retired, Mom and I were always trying to get him to stay busy and this was one way, a big way, he enjoyed keeping busy.
To tell you about Boomer and what he was like in real life, he fought in Vietnam and served in the military for a total of 9 years before serving at CSX for nearly 30 years. He re-committed his life to Christ the day before he passed away and was a member at Beech Street Christian Church for many years. He retired from CSX in 2006. Dad overcame big obstacles to get where he did, having to drop out of high school to support his family after his Dad passed away during that time. He had strong medical training through the military and in 1998 helped preserve the life of a Canadian couple who was traveling through West Virginia. When I was young he traveled out of town to work at the headquarters of CSX and on his way back encountered that couple whose van had flipped one and a half times. It flipped after the camper attached to the back of it flipped. In MacGyver-like fashion, he used a pen to blow glass out of the eyes of the husband, stalling his intensive bleeding and calming his wife before the paramedics arrived. The couple ended up surviving the accident after some treatment at the hospital.
Thank you to everyone on this site for the great discussion and opportunity you provided Dad during his retirement years. He enjoyed you and hated that during his time in this hospital he didn't have the energy to be able to access this site consistently. Given Dad's attachment to this site I felt it was appropriate for me to post this and let you know what happened. Thank you for everything and I wish you nothing but the very best.
https://www.steenfuneralhome.com/tributes/Edward-Rowland
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Rest In Peace sir.
