Obituary: Rosemarie (Rowell) Granger
Woolwich educator, equestrian Rosemarie 'Ree' Granger dies at 83
WOOLWICH — Rosemarie "Ree" Rowell Granger, a woman whose life wove together four decades in a Bath classroom, a championship equestrian career, and a steady devotion to family and farm, died peacefully Tuesday, Sept. 22, after a brief illness. She was 83.
Born Oct. 13, 1942, in Hartford, Connecticut, to William Clogston Rowell and Margaret O'Brien Rowell, Ree grew up in a household that valued discipline and faith. She attended St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Academy and Deering High School before studying at Westbrook College in Portland. She went on to earn both her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of New Hampshire.
It was at UNH that she met Clark Granger of Lee, New Hampshire. They married Aug. 31, 1965, in Portland and put down roots in Woolwich in 1969, beginning a partnership that would span more than six decades.
Ree began teaching elementary school in Bath the same year she was married. She stayed for 40 years, becoming a fixture in the lives of generations of children. Colleagues and former students remembered her for an almost intuitive sense of what a child needed — whether encouragement, structure, or a quiet moment of attention — and for holding every student to a high standard while giving them the tools to meet it.
Outside the classroom, her passion was Morgan horses. She spent years showing and caring for them, competing in events across the eastern United States. Her greatest competitive moment came when she and her horse, Jack McNary, earned a second-place finish at the national level. She also showed dogs and never forgot her childhood Dalmatian, Bonnie.
Ree and Clark raised two children — Kimberly Ann and Gregory — while building a home and establishing a farm together. She supported their pursuits with characteristic thoroughness, even becoming a certified gymnastics judge to be involved in her children's activities. Her sister, Peggy Ann Keaney of Portland, recalled a woman who "did nothing halfway. If she committed to something, she mastered it."
A lifelong Roman Catholic, Ree was a devoted communicant of St. Mary's Church in Bath. Her faith, family, and farm formed the three pillars of her daily life.
In 2024, she and Clark moved full-time to South China, settling on the farm that Clark and their son Greg had tended for years. The move brought her closer to Greg and her grandchildren, a transition she embraced with the same practicality and warmth that marked her teaching career.
She is survived by her husband, Clark, of China; daughter Kimberly Ann Granger of Bath; son Gregory Granger of China; grandchildren Seamus and Keagan Gethicker of Bath, and Katherine and William Granger of China; sister Peggy Ann Keaney of Portland; daughter's partner Gaetan Breton; close friend Donna Smith; five nieces and nephews; and three grandnieces. She was predeceased by her parents and her brother, Michael Rowell.
The family extends deep gratitude to the staff of MaineGeneral Health and Augusta Rehab for the compassionate care Ree received during her final 11 weeks.
A celebration of Ree's life will be held Sunday, Oct. 25, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Montsweag Restaurant in Woolwich. All are welcome. Arrangements are entrusted to Plummer Funeral Home, 983 Ridge Road, Windsor. Condolences, stories, and photos may be shared at plummerfh.com. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to a charity of one's choice.
