Obituary: Gary Rowley

     We were sad to learn of the passing of Gary Rowley, former president/CEO of Rowley-Scher Reprographics. Rowley was 87 when he passed away on November 17. When Rowley retired in 1984, his company operated multiple locations in the Washington/Balimore area.

      Rowley previously owned two versions of Rowley's Blueprint Service in the Maryland/Washington, DC. area. In between owning those businesses, he worked for Technifax Corp. for six years and started Ex-speed-ite Blueprint. He then bought a firm called the Sepia Shop, which he immediately renamed Rowley's Blueprint Service. He merged that company with Max Scher Blueprinting in 1979; the combined company was Rowley-Scher Reprographics.

     "Gary was a guiding light to all who worked with him," said Joel Salus, formerly a co-owner of Rowley-Scher. "He was a genius in the sales and marketing part of the business."

     John Scher Zeller, who was the owner of Max Scher Blueprinting when the companies merged and remained a co-owner of Rowley-Scher, knew Rowley well: "Gary was a wonderful partner, mentor and the most influential person in my reprographics career. He was an icon in the industry and will be sorely missed."