HALIFAX – For three decades, whether it was on radio or on TV, Allan Rowe was one of the most recognizable faces of news in the Maritimes.
The journalist-turned-politician passed away early Monday morning at the age of 58, nearly a month after suffering a ruptured aneurysm.
Rowe was elected as the Liberal MLA representing Dartmouth South in 2013 and served as the government caucus whip.
Premier Stephen McNeil described Rowe as a gentleman, who will be missed by everyone in the legislature.
“He’s exactly the kind of person in my view that we should have in the House of Assembly,” McNeil told Global News.
“His listened to his constituents in public meetings, he would listen to their thoughts and their views, he would take those and bring them to the house and he did it in such a respectful way.”
Fellow Liberal MLA and former journalist Kelly Regan first met Rowe in the mid-1980s when they both worked in television news and remembers him fondly.
“He was just smart and funny and nice and caring and really good at his job,” Regan said. “I think all of us in the Liberal caucus are devastated. Allan was highly-respected and extremely well-liked.”
Rowe had a lengthy career in radio and television broadcast news, including 17 years with Global News in Halifax as senior anchor, producer and news director.
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Prior to journalism, he worked on the drilling rig Ocean Ranger and left two months before it sank in 1982, killing all crew members.
In 2012, Rowe recounted to Global News how difficult it was to cover the tragedy on the news.
“It was tough,” he said. “One of the earliest newscasts I had to read in this business was naming the name of guys that I knew very, very well.”
Former colleagues say it was that professionalism and passion that made him stand out.
“Allan covered a lot of stories in his years as a broadcaster and people welcomed him into their living rooms,” said former news anchor Stacey Jones-Oxner, who worked alongside Allan at Global News for close to 15 years.
“He had that ability to connect with his audience in a really genuine way and I think that’s why he was so popular as a broadcaster and why he was so popular as a politician.”
In turn, Rowe allowed people into his life and spoke openly about his recent battle with prostate cancer.
He was also very open about his love and dedication to his family: his wife Yvonne, his daughter and two grandchildren.
“He talked about them on a daily basis — every day,” said Global Halifax’s former general manager, Barry Saunders. “Between his family and his love of riding his bike, that was Allan’s life really.”
Those who knew Rowe know it is hard to talk about him without thinking about his motorcycle.
“Allan Rowe was a gentleman. I’m just thinking of him riding into the sunset on his hog right now,” Regan said.
WATCH: Halifax remembers Allan Rowe
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