William Michael Byrne, 81, Vero Beach
William Michael “Mike” Byrne, 81, of Vero Beach, passed away on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital. Mike was born in Oak Park, Ill., to the late Joseph and Margaret Byrne.
Mike worked as a sales engineer in Chicago, for many years for several different manufacturing companies. After retirement he enjoyed working with pet rescue organizations. Upon moving to Florida he enjoyed volunteering at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital.
Mike leaves to cherish his memory, his loving wife of 56 years, Susan Maloney Byrne; three sons, Kevin (Ann) Byrne, Martin (Cheryl) Byrne and Michael. He is also survived by five granddaughters, Kelly, Casey, Lauren, Shannon, and Erin; a sister, Sheila Grange; two brothers, John and Roger Byrne as well as numerous extended family members.
Services will be held at a later date.
Barry McClendon Rowles 92, Vero Beach
Barry McClendon Rowles 92, of Vero Beach, died at home on Thursday, May 21, 2020, with his beloved wife and treasured Havanese pups by his side.
In addition to Barbara Keays Rowles, his wife of 38 years, he leaves behind sons Kelly, Craig, and David; daughters-in-law Beth and Diane, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, who all loved him unconditionally – except, perhaps, the latter, who are only 9 and 35 months old, after all.
Barry was born in 1927 in the Iron Range of northern Minnesota, the son of Dr. and Mrs. Everett K. Rowles, and grandson of Dr. and Mrs. Roseberry B. Rowles.
Dr. E.K. Rowles was the town doctor for the hamlet of Coleraine, Minn., where Barry spent a charmed boyhood; at age 14, he drove the ambulance for his father. Barry was a high school athlete who was state-ranked in track and quarterbacked the Greenway Raiders football team. After high school, Barry served in the Navy at the end of WWII where he learned aviation electronics. Barry also excelled in his studies, and in May 1945 was award the George Westinghouse Scholarship to attend the College of Engineering at the Carnegie Institute of Engineering (now CMU) in Pittsburgh. There he was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1951. He went on to get his Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Pittsburgh.
In 1952 Barry entered the U.S. Naval Reserve, serving until 1955. During that time he was also employed as the supervisor of the statistical unit at National Supply Company in Pittsburgh. Beginning in 1953, he was Director of Business Planning and Electronic Data Processing at Armco Steel in Pittsburgh. Moving back to his home state, Barry took a position in 3M Company’s marketing and technical services division in Minneapolis. He joined Mars, Inc. in 1957, first as Controller & Planning Director and then VP Finance for the M&M Candies division. He became president of the pet foods division including then-newly acquired KalKan Foods, then ultimately president of Mars, Inc.
In July 1968 Barry took a position with Heublein, Inc. as president of the Theodore Hamm Brewing Company. In 1969, an article in the Minneapolis Star dubbed Barry “a new type of brewing industry executive,” a “professional marketing man” with no ties to the founding family. Soon afterward, at the height of the Vietnam War protests, Barry allotted $250,000 (in today’s money $1.75M) to produce the Hamm-sponsored, 31-city road show “America Sings.” The show featured songs from different eras in American history. Barry, quoted by the San Francisco Examiner, said “The purpose of the series of ‘America Sings’ is to bring into focus a reminder that Americans today have the right to dissent but that right is a liberty to enjoy, not a license to destroy.” The show received commendation in the U.S. House of Representatives for a very significant contribution to better understanding of contemporary America through historical perspective.
In 1971 Heublein appointed Barry president and chief executive officer of Kentucky Fried Chicken Corp. (KFC). Barry reorganized and rejuvenated the company, hiring new executives, strengthening relations with the franchisers of KFC shops, and strengthening marketing and real estate departments. In 1976, he was named international group executive and transferred to Farmington, CT. There he led Heublein’s foreign sales of liquor and foreign operations of KFC subsidiaries. While with Heublein International he developed Jose Cuervo and Lancers into major brands in the U.S. By the time he retired in 1984, Barry had developed many strong relationships worldwide, and left a band of international associates to continue his work.
Retirement did not sit well with Barry for long. In 1987 he founded Homestyle Family Buffet, Inc. restaurants in Palm Harbor, FL. As Chairman/CEO of the company he successfully closed public offerings in 1988, 1989, and 1990, and sold the company in 1992.
Barry and Barbara became residents of Florida and maintained summer homes in Vermont and Gaspe, Quebec. They were members of, and often seen enjoying their time together and with friends at either the Ekwanok Country Club in Vermont or the Quail Valley Club in Vero Beach.
Barry will be remembered as a loving husband and father, a great friend and mentor, and an amazing businessman who loved the outdoors, athletic sports, and enjoying time with Barbara and their friends and family.
To say that he enjoyed and shared an often remarkable and full life is no exaggeration.
Barry held a private pilot’s license and owned his own planes; when he wasn’t flying, he was playing tennis, skiing (on snow and water, depending on the season) and open water diving. To facilitate his and Barbara’s love of fly-fishing, Barry designed and built a bamboo fly rod.
In addition to the business trips that took him and Barbara to such attractive destinations as Tokyo and Paris, Barry was a world traveler who trekked Nepal (with a broken foot!) and climbed Annapurna; shot deer, elk, and water buffalo in Kenya; hunted quail, grouse, deer, and wild boar in the U.K. and the U.S., and fished salmon in Scotland and on the Cascapedia, Matapedia, and St. John rivers in Gaspe, Quebec. When he wasn’t outdoors, he was as competitive a duplicate bridge player as he was a sportsman. The only things he enjoyed in which he did not personally participate were opera and pro football. His one regret was an opportunity lost for his family when, in the mid-1700s, a Rowles ancestor traded away a huge tract of land in West Virginia for a brass bed.
As per Barry’s wishes, a private family gathering will take place in Vermont later this summer.