The Sunnyvale Sun

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Obituaries

Jack Rowe

Jack Rowe was a skilled engineer, a radio historian and a man who loved Sunnyvale and his wife, Planning Commissioner Harriet Rowe. He died on Feb. 27 after a long battle with leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. He was 78.

Rowe lived in Sunnyvale for 48 years. He was born in Indiana in 1932 and, as a child, was fascinated with the electric transformer of his toy train. He later tinkered with radios, and studied engineering at Purdue University and Valparaiso Collegiate Institute.

In the early 1950s, Rowe worked as a civilian communications engineer for the U.S. Air Force in Guam. He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and drove a truck to soldiers' camps to repair their watches. Battle plans relied on synchronicity, and Rowe's suggestion that soldiers wear a standard watch helped usher in a contract for uniform watches from Timex. Rowe achieved the rank of corporal.

After working for the U.S. Department of Defense in Arlington, Va., Rowe moved to Sunnyvale in 1959 and worked at Western Development Laboratories in Palo Alto. He became a program manager for a satellite communications terminal and worked at the Air Force's Satellite Test Center's "Blue Cube."

Rowe fell in love with Sunnyvale's mild weather and was impressed with the way the city treated its citizens and dealt with rapid growth. He developed the city council's first electronic voting and attendance tote board and became active in civic life. He retired in 1986.

After marrying and divorcing twice, Rowe, in his retirement, rekindled a relationship with Harriet, whom he had met in Virginia when she was in high school. They were married in Fredericksburg, Va., in 1987.

Rowe researched radios made in Sunnyvale in the 1920s, such as the Echophone Model 3. His work uncovered Arthur Bessey, whose broadcast from his Radio Shop in Sunnyvale was one of the first licensed radio stations in the United States.

As an avid council watcher, Rowe discovered he and his neighbors had been overpaying water rates, and the city returned them thousands of dollars, Harriet Rowe said.

Rowe said her husband's natural curiosity spilled into other areas.

"He was just such a good thinker and problem-solver. ... When he spotted a puzzle, he wanted to solve it," she said.

In city council meetings for the last four years, Jack sat in the second-to-last row on the center aisle, with his wife in front of him, so they could confer. Councilman John Howe said the vacant seat saddened him and the council's March 6 meeting closed in Rowe's honor.

Howe later called Rowe "a quick-witted and wonderful gentleman, and a great part of our community."

Going through his papers after he died, Harriet Rowe found a sketch of radio waves that her husband had used to explain why commercials on TV sometimes sound louder than the program.

She said, "The thing I miss most is, I can't turn to Jack and say, 'How come?' "

Jack Rowe is survived by his wife. He will be buried with military honors in Quantico National Cemetary in Quantico, Va., in the spring. A celebration of life will be held in Sunnyvale at a later date.

-- Stephen Baxter

Joseph Francia

Joseph Anthony Francia, who grew fruits and vegetables for decades in Mountain View and Sunnyvale, died on March 23. He was 84.

Francia was born in San Jose in 1922 and graduated from Mountain View High School. He joined the Army near the beginning of World War II, was captured by the Germans and held for nearly three years. He was released at the war's conclusion and earned a Purple Heart.

Francia worked as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service before returning to the family farm and marrying Lydia Marino in 1949.

Francia farmed with his older brother, Ben, and later his son, Michael, and Ben's son, Gabe. The family operated an apricot orchard in Mountain View and "The Corn Palace," located off Lawrence Expressway in Sunnyvale. During the last 15 years, Francia also sold produce at farmers markets in Mountain View and Sunnyvale.

"Farming and family were the two things that he cared and lived for," said Don Angelo, Francia's son-in-law. "He was a gentle man but also a very strong man."

A memorial service was held March 29 at St. Joseph's Church in Mountain View, and he was buried at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery in Santa Clara.

Francia is survived by his brother, Ben; his sister, Julia; and his brother-in-law Frank. He is also survived by his son, Michael; his daughter Josie Angelo; son-in-law, Don Angelo; and grandchildren Deanna Angelo, Scott Angelo and Kevin Citko; and great-grandchildren, Michael, Ashley, Nicholas and Julianna Angelo-Citko.

--Stephen Baxter