Rowley Jackson (Courtesy)

Franklin Rowley Jackson, known as Rowley to most and lovingly as “RoRo” to his five grandchildren, died on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, in Danvers, Massachusetts, with his beloved wife, Peggie, and family by his side.

Born on July 2, 1957, in New Jersey, Rowley spent his childhood alongside his sisters in a family whose journey led them to extraordinary places around the globe. His father’s engineering career brought the family to Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, where Rowley attended school as a young boy. His fond childhood memories there shaped the adventurous spirit and natural curiosity that defined him for the rest of his life.

A gifted athlete, Rowley attended North Carolina State University, where he competed in track and field for the Wolfpack. Running would remain an important part of his life. He took pride in keeping his mind and body sharp, particularly as the responsibilities of providing for his own family with three incredibly active children became the joyful focus of his life.

A chance introduction at a mutual friend’s wedding in Chicago led Rowley to Peggie, beginning a remarkable partnership built on love, friendship and shared adventures that would endure for the rest of his life.

After they married, Rowley’s work in medical sales with Lumex took them to the West Coast, where they welcomed their first child, Jamie. Over the following decades, Rowley established a highly successful career in the healthcare industry, eventually joining Drive Medical, where he spent 25 years helping grow the business and forging lasting professional relationships. Along the way, their family continued to grow. While living in New York, they welcomed their daughter, Victoria. They later made their home in Dunwoody, Georgia, where they put down roots, raised their children, and celebrated the arrival of their youngest son, Patrick.

Rowley’s life was anchored by the people he loved, and he found his greatest calling in caring for them. His dreams were remarkably selfless. What mattered most to him was not what he achieved for himself, but the life he built for his family.

That selflessness extended to Orlando, Florida, where he and Peggie moved after they raised their children to help care for his aging in-laws, Dr. James and Margaret “Peggie” Farrell. Rowley approached that responsibility just as he approached so much of his life: quietly and compassionately. Through his devotion and care, he helped make their remaining years comfortable, meaningful and filled with family — a gift that those who loved them both will never forget.

Rowley had a way of making people feel welcome with his genuine smile. He possessed a wonderful sense of humor, though rarely at someone else’s expense.

Through all of the places Rowley and Peggie lived, nowhere brought them greater happiness than their family home in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where so many of the things he valued most came together: Peggie, their children, their grandchildren, the beach, and family time. Nothing pleased Rowley more than seeing his family together there, especially knowing that each new generation had come to cherish the place as deeply as he did.

Rowley was immensely proud of his children, Jamie, Victoria and Patrick, and embraced Abbie and Meredith as daughters and Chris as a son. But perhaps no role brought him greater joy than becoming “RoRo.”

His five grandchildren — Logan, Mack, Alice, Cooper and Cassidy — were a constant source of pride, laughter and happiness. To them, RoRo was more than a grandfather. He was a source of unconditional love, warmth, patience and kindness. He cherished being surrounded by them.

Those fortunate enough to have known Rowley will remember a genuinely kind soul and a man whose life was defined by his devotion to others. His legacy lives in the family he created, the people he cared for, the kindness he extended without expectation, and the example he set for his children and grandchildren. He was a devoted husband, a proud father and father-in-law, a loving brother and friend, a caregiver when his family needed him, and an unforgettable RoRo.

In New Smyrna Beach, where so many treasured family memories were made, Rowley’s spirit endures in the ocean breeze, the laughter of children at the shoreline, and the generations who return there to be together.

He will be missed beyond measure and remembered with love by all those fortunate enough to have had their lives touched by him.

Rowley is survived by his wife, Peggie (Farrell) Jackson; his children, James “Jamie” (Abbie) Jackson of Roswell, Georgia, Victoria “Tori” (Chris) Himmel of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and Patrick (Meredith) Jackson of Saint Louis, Missouri; five grandchildren; and his sisters, Lisa (Tom) Ridgley of Columbus, Ohio, Julie (John) Silk of Hinsdale, Illinois, and Laura (Chuck) Luse of Wheaton, Illinois. Rowley was predeceased by his parents, Harold and Mary Jackson.

A celebration of Rowley’s life will be held at 10 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2026, at Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic Church, 7171 Glenridge Dr., Atlanta, Georgia 30328

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial contributions be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Road SW, Suite 105, Lilburn, Georgia, 30047.

This announcement courtesy of the Strickland Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Hartwell.