BASCOM JOSEPH ROWLETT, JR.  
Bascom Joseph "BJ" Rowlett, Jr., age 96, passed away peacefully at his home in Silver Spring, Maryland on December 26, 2019, after a long up-and-down battle with congestive heart failure. He was born on May 15, 1923 in Richmond, Virginia to Bascom Joseph and Sue Woolfork Rowlett. He graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia, with a degree in Civil Engineering and then served in the Navy during World War II. Following his service, he had a long career with Virginia Steel Corporation and Bethlehem Steel Corporation. He married the late Cornelia Price Reid on September 11, 1948 and they had two sons, James Reid Rowlett and Robert Edward Rowlett. Connie and BJ were active members of their churches: Myers Park Baptist in Charlotte, North Carolina, First Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, and particularly Bethesda First Baptist in Bethesda, Maryland, where they each took on a variety of leadership roles over 30 years. BJ has most recently been a member of the Inter-Faith Chapel at Leisure World in Silver Spring, Maryland. After his retirement, BJ became involved with Bethesda Cares, serving as coordinator of the lunch program from 1988 to 2002 and on the Bethesda Cares Board for more than 10 years. He is survived by his sons Reid and Robert, his grandchildren Chris, Maggie, Cameron, Alicia, and Cindy, and his special friend, Jane Cuccias. BJ made friends everywhere he went and from all walks of life, and his service to others throughout his life was an inspiration to all who knew him. The family will receive visitors at Pumphrey Funeral Homes in Rockville, Maryland on January 2, 2020 from 4 to 8 p.m., and a memorial service will be held at Inter-Faith Chapel, 3680 S. Leisure World Boulevard, Silver Spring, Maryland, on Saturday, January 4, 2020 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions be made to Bethesda Cares (https://bethesdacares.org).