Joseph I. Rowan Jr. | Sales manager, 86

Joseph I. "Jerry" Rowan Jr., 86, of West Chester and Palm Beach, Fla., a retired DuPont Co. sales manager and bed-and-breakfast proprietor, died of cancer Monday at home in West Chester.

Mr. Rowan began his career with DuPont at its automotive plant in Philadelphia and then worked in sales for 30 years.

When he retired in 1988, he turned his home in West Chester into the Highland Manor Bed & Breakfast. He filled the rooms with his collection of antiques, created formal gardens, cooked elaborate breakfasts, and entertained guests with his piano playing and his Irish stories, his son Joseph "Jay" III said. He sold the property in 1995.

Mr. Rowan graduated from West Philadelphia Catholic High School and attended the University of Pennsylvania. During World War II, he participated in the Normandy invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. He was stationed in Fort Meade, Md., during the Korean War.

He enjoyed the Jersey Shore, bridge, and Phillies baseball. For many years he volunteered with Meals on Wheels in West Chester.

In addition to his son Jay, Mr. Rowan is survived by sons Michael and Mark; daughters Mary Christine and Anne Lucia "Chia"; and 11 grandchildren. His wife of 28 years, Anne Morgan Rowan, died in 1974.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at St. Agnes Church, 233 Gay St., West Chester.