Kathleen “Kay” H. (Kirkpatrick) Rowan, 89, of Vienna passed away peacefully on March 15, 2026 at the Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg, WV. She was born on November 13, 1936 in Ripley, WV a daughter of the late Charles I. Kirkpatrick and Grace (Mullinex) Kirkpatrick.
Kay graduated from Ripley High School, and afterwards worked and volunteered for many different organizations. She was a longtime member of the Christ Lutheran Church in Vienna, where she served as the financial secretary and was a member of the choir. She also volunteered with the Red Cross, where she assisted with helping victims of fires in the area. She showed an unmatched love and compassion for those she helped while with the Red Cross. She retired from Walker Lift where she served as the office manager for many years.
Kay loved to travel, and enjoyed going on many road trips with her family out to California. She also loved to go to the Actor’s Guild in Parkersburg, where she also volunteered and even served as the president of the Guild for a brief period of time. At one point, Kay was even nominated for Outstanding Young Woman of West Virginia, a testament to her selflessness and compassion for those around her. She will be remembered as someone who put others first and gave back to her community tirelessly.
She is survived by her daughter Kelly Rowan (Marvin Eddy), her sister Loraine (Kirkpatrick) Addison, as well as several nieces and nephews and their children.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her daughter Kara L. Rowan, and her siblings.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Kay’s nurses, Crystal and Michelle, for taking great care of her in her time of need. They would also like to thank Kay’s close friends Delores and Jerry Steege, and Cathy Bell for being a second family for her and taking care of her as well.
Per her wishes, Kay will be cremated. There will be no services at this time. The family will hold a memorial service in her remembrance at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Christ Lutheran Church of Vienna, the Sanctuary of Light, or the Actor’s Guild in memory of Kay.
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