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Joy Permelia Boothe Rowell
April 15, 2025
Joy Permelia Boothe Rowell, 70, of Jay, Florida, passed away unexpectedly, Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
Joy was born in Mobile, Alabama, to the late Alex Zander Boothe, Jr. and Virginia Adelle Estes Boothe on December 5, 1954. She was the fourth of five children, and she loved each of her siblings fiercely. Joy spent much of her childhood on Lott Road, moving between her parents’ dairy farm and the apartment above the store they owned. She went back and forth between Wilmer Elementary and Semmes, each time reuniting with friends who would call out, “Hey! Joy’s back!” upon her arrival. She had a horse named Champ she loved, she picked and sold bushels upon bushels of peas, and she grew up in the warmth of a loving home where Jesus was praised, education was valued, and hard work was only matched by laughter.
Joy moved to Milton in the sixth grade and then her family bought a farm and built a home in Allentown. She attended Allentown School, now called Central School, beginning in 8th grade. She graduated in 1973 and graduated from the University of West Florida with an English secondary education degree in 1979. She returned to Allentown and spent her teaching career ministering to and guiding the children of the people she had grown up with, along with hundreds more. She helped students see their potential, pointed them toward the Love that never runs out, and saw the light in the dimmest of eyes, reminding each of them that “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” She was a language arts teacher, yearbook sponsor, drama teacher, mentor, reading coach, and the county ESOL coordinator, serving the students and families she loved for 35 years. She inspired many to follow in her footsteps, including all three of her children.
A favorite teacher at Central High School, Joy was also a gifted and encouraging Sunday School teacher throughout her entire adulthood. She taught adults at Berrydale Baptist Church, Cora Baptist Church, and Woodbine Baptist Church in Pace, where she had been a member since 2023. She led a ladies’ Bible study the day she passed away.
Joy lived life to the fullest and wanted to see as much of the world as possible. Sharing those experiences with her sisters and close friends and then sharing them broadly with her many social media friends brought her great happiness. She had visited all 50 states and Macedonia made her 50th country in September. Some of her favorite places she saw were Israel, Ireland, and Africa. She loved the scenery and loved going “anywhere she hadn’t gone before,” but it was the people she met and the stories they told that impacted Joy most. She loved people, met them easily, embraced them heartily, and always had an open heart and open hands. Her JOY for life was contagious.
While her teaching career, her students, her church family, and her travels were all so important to her, her roles as a wife, mother to her three children, and a grandmother to her seven grandchildren were where she shone the brightest. She married Roger Glen Rowell in 1973, and God used her to make him the man he became. She was not only mother to her own children, but she was a second mother to many of their friends, as well as to nieces, nephews, and church family. She had a special way with folks, making each person feel as if he or she was her favorite.
And when her grandchildren came along, she became DeeDee. They brought more joy and pride to her than anything else on earth ever had. She regularly babysat them all, attended their ball games, recitals, academic competitions, and special events. She wore her specially made shirts for each grandchild’s school and became a staple in all three of their communities-Jay, Milton, and Pace. She made special time to be with each grandchild, taking them back-to-school shopping, having them spend the night often, cooking them their favorite foods, speaking Truth and encouragement into their lives, and praying for them regularly. She believed each of them had what it took to do anything they wanted and were called by God to do. Her greatest legacy may be that now they all believe that too.
Joy was preceded in death by her precious husband of 45 years, Roger Glen Rowell; her loving parents; a granddaughter, Anna Grace McMath; and several brothers-in law and sisters-in-law whom she loved dearly.
She leaves behind her two sons and two daughters-in-law, Chadwick Glen (Jessica) Rowell of Berrydale, and Rhett Alexander (Lana) Rowell of Jay; and her daughter and son-in-law, Misty (Joey) McMath of Pace. She lives on through her seven beloved grandchildren, Malinda Maesen (Maesey) Rowell and John Pasco (Pasco) Rowell II; Major Alexander and Piper Elizabeth Rowell; and Abriana Joy (Abby), Josiah Luker and Jackson Glen (Jack) McMath. She is also survived by her brother, Kenny (Gloria) Boothe of Cantonment; and her sisters, Sylvia (Jerry) Jennings of Cantonment, Betty (Mondal) Miller of Columbia, MS, and Andra (Joe) Mize of Flomaton, AL; sisters-in-law, Dinah Colonna of Florala, AL, and Lorrine Rowell of Jay; and brothers-in-law, Frank (Pearl) Rowell of Jay and Buck Roberts of Jay. Additionally, she leaves behind many nephews, nieces, great nephews, and great nieces whose lives were indelibly touched by their Aunt Joy’s love for them.
All services will be held at Berrydale Baptist Church, 6730 FL-4, Jay, FL 32565, under the direction of Lewis Funeral Homes. Visitation will be Thursday, April 17, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Good Friday, April 18. Interment will immediately follow in the Berrydale Baptist Church Cemetery. Her nephews will serve as active pallbearers.
The family wishes to thank the staff of Jay Hospital and friends and family who have prayed, visited, shared stories, and ministered during this unspeakably difficult time.
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