Harvey F. Rowe Jr. of Marblehead and Lynn died on Friday, September 25, 2026 at the Bertram House of Swampscott with his family around him. He was 85.
He grew up in Malden and went to Malden Catholic, Merrimack College and Suffolk University Law School. He served in the Navy from 1963 to 1967 as a surface warfare officer aboard the USS Ashland, trained in amphibious warfare and at the Naval Justice School, and in 1968 became a special agent for the Office of Naval Intelligence. He said the Navy gave him the discipline that shaped everything after.
As a lawyer he served as an assistant attorney general for Massachusetts and as town counsel for Swampscott, built a private practice in criminal defense and real estate, moved into public adjusting and retired as president of Panakio Adjusters in Lynn. A Knight of the Order of Malta, he went to daily Mass, arriving early to say the rosary, led pilgrimages to Lourdes, served on the board of My Brother’s Table, the North Shore’s largest soup kitchen, and carried his service work to Ecuador, Mexico and France.
His wife, Lisa, died before him. He leaves his brothers, Robert and Ronald, of Florida; his first wife, Eileen, of Swampscott, and their children, Shannon and her husband Michael, Melissa and her husband Norman, and Mark and his wife Jenna, all of Marblehead; his grandchildren, Lily, Maeve, Tegan, Maren, Wesley, Violet and Calvin; a grandson-in-law, Ryan; many nieces and nephews; and the caregivers his family singles out, Trina, Hakim, Harry, Javier and Josh.
A visiting hour is Saturday, October 3 at 9 a.m. at St. Pius V Church in Lynn, followed by a 10 a.m. Mass and burial at Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn. Arrangements are by the Solimine Funeral Homes, Lynn. The family suggests donations to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Compiled from information published by Solimine Funeral Homes. Photograph courtesy of the family via Solimine Funeral Homes. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
