Lester "Les" Gene Rowe

Lester "Les" Gene Rowe

Springfield, Mo.

Lester "Les" Gene Rowe, 75, of Springfield, Mo., left this journey of life on Feb. 13, 2023.

Les was born in Independence, Iowa, on Dec. 27, 1947, to Louise and Walter Rowe of Walker, Iowa. He was loved by so many and achieved many things in his life. He was a very proud Marine and served in Vietnam. He proudly served his country as a CPL in the U.S. Marine Corps. Joining in 1965, he served during the Vietnam War, where he received the Vietnam Service and Campaign Medals. He also received numerous medals and badges to include the Rifle Marksmanship Badge, National Defense Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal. He discharged Honorably in 1969 from duty station RR&CCO, 7th CommBn, 1st Marine Division.

When he came home from Vietnam, he started working at Wilson’s Meat Packing Plant in Cedar Rapids, and went on to Bell Telephone Company now known as Lumen. He married and had a daughter Shannon Rowe. He later remarried and had another daughter Kelly Rowe.

He then moved to Las Vegas as head of security at the previous Star Dust Casino and went on to work as security at the University of NV Med Center. When he retired, he moved to Springfield, Mo., for his love of fishing and bass tournaments.

Les was preceded in death by his beloved dog Tracker; mother and father, Walter and Louise Rowe; and brother-in-law, Ken Kiler.

Les is survived by his sister, Marlene Kiler, Hackensack, Minn.; daughters, Shannon Keller, (son-in-law, Jim Keller) and Kelly Kemmerling; grandchildren, Chase and Kilian Kemmerling, Cedar Rapids; and best friends, April Barker, Nebraska, Mike Dvorak, Cedar Rapids, and Justin Moore, Missouri.

Honors service will be held at 1 p.m. May 20, at Troy Mills Cemetery. Cheers to Les following the memorial at Dharma’s Bar & Grill in Troy Mills.