Bond August “Gus” Rowe

June 5, 2024

After having four girls, Dave and Lois Rowe were so surprised to have a boy that they weren’t quite ready with a name. When Dave was pulling on his socks to visit mother and son at the hospital, he noticed the name on the sock read, “Bond.” It seemed to go well with the family name of August (for Bond’s great-great grandfather) so the first and only son was named Bond August Rowe going by the nickname of Gus.

Gus entered the world on December 30, 1958 in Tribune to proud parents, Dave and Lois (Bare) Rowe. He was raised on a farm west of Tribune in Greeley County. He attended school for most of his life in Greeley County and moved to Southern California to finish high school at Torrey Pines High School near Del Mar. He received a B.S in Business Administration/Finance at San Diego State University and later attended the Graduate School of Banking, University of Colorado and ABA National Compliance School, University of Oklahoma.

After working a short time in Colorado, his love for the land and hometown lured him back to Tribune in the 1980s. He had a banking career in Tribune and Elkhart until 2008 when he changed careers and moved to Southern California where he received a paralegal certificate from the University of California, San Diego. Later, at the encouragement of his best friend, Chris Salem, he moved to Lahaina, Hawaii, where he worked as a financial consultant. In 2019, he returned to the mainland, settling in Lake Wales, Florida to be near his father, son Jess, and sister Casey and husband, Mike. He continued working remotely until his retirement in 2023. 

His love of family, reverence for music and nature’s beauty, his inspirational musings, and chicken dish creations, to name a few, leave his family and friends with sweet memories to soften the ache in their heart. 

Gus passed away unexpectedly at his home of a heart attack on May 23, 2024. He was 65 years old. 

He is survived by his daughter, Christy Lynn Rowe of Tribune and son Jess David Rowe of Lake Wales, Florida; five sisters, Stephanie (Ross) Niedens, Dodge City; Lissa (Keith) Hungate, Bristol, Virginia; Casey (Mike) Wisler, Nalcrest, Florida; WenDee (Marci Penner) Rowe, Inman, and Mona Watkins, Acworth, Georgia and many nieces and nephews. 

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. As per Gus’ wishes, his body has been cremated. Memorials may be made to the Greeley County Library or the Greeley County Historical Museum.