Rowena J. Van Meter, age 84, passed away on December 6, 2021, at 4:06 pm, at Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center.

Rowena was born February 2, 1937 in Lima, OH, to Edward and Bertha (Ruebush) Sneary, both of whom preceded her in death. On October 29, 1955 she married her beloved spouse, Norman Van Meter, who preceded her in death on August 3, 2003. She was a member of Westminster United Methodist Church, where she greatly enjoyed attending and sharing in fellowship with her church family. She was very involved with various church groups and had a passion for serving the Lord. She knew how to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and found great enjoyment in shopping, going out to eat, and running the roads with her friends. She was a homemaker by nature, and found her calling caring for her loved ones, especially her children and grandchildren, whom she loved spending time with. Rowena was an exceptional woman, and will be greatly missed by all those who were fortunate enough to know her.

Survivors include: children, Theresa (Mike) Hardy, Connie (Jeff) Wheeler and Barb (Dave) Cullar; siblings, Clyde Sneary and Maxine Heffner; grandchildren, Stacey, Jason, Tonya, Jared, Tara, Travis, Krista, and Tyler; as well as eighteen great-grandchildren.

Preceded in death by: parents, Edward and Bertha Sneary; spouse, Norman Van Meter; as well as siblings, Lawrence Sneary, Charles Sneary, Elizabeth Lentz, Paul Sneary, Johnny Sneary, Bob Sneary, Frank Sneary, and Inez Stevens.
A public viewing will take place from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 14th, 2021 at the Chiles-Laman Funeral Homes Eastside Chapel, with a funeral service to follow at 12:30 p.m. Pastor David Burkhart will officiate the service. Burial will be in Salem West Minster Cemetery following the service.
Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.chiles-lamanfh.com.