Roy Lee Towell died peacefully in his sleep on June 19, 2025, surrounded by all three of his children. True to form, he kept his sense of humor until the very end.
A private family memorial will be held at a later date.
Mr. Towell was born on March 11, 1948, in Litchfield. He proudly served in the U.S. Navy, after graduating from Litchfield High School in the class of 1966. He later attended Ranken Technical College, training in plumbing, a career that took him on adventures far and wide, from the Marshall Islands to Puerto Rico. But no matter how far he roamed, his heart was always with his family.
Growing up, he enjoyed playing basketball with his brother and friends. He loved baseball and Mickey Mantle. As a boy, he even taught his sister how to tie her shoes so she could go to kindergarten, and doing the same for his own children, allowing them to walk with confidence and not trip over their shoelaces. As adults, his family knew they could always count on him to lend an ear when they needed it.
He had a personality all his own; private, reflective and loyal. He was known for his dry wit, his quick comebacks and a deep sense of wisdom. His classic sayings, like “colder than a well digger’s butt,”
“finer than frog hair” and “well, hell’s bells” will forever echo in the memories of those who knew and loved him.
Mr. Towell could tell a story like no one else. One knew to brew a pot of coffee and get comfortable because they were about to be entertained. Some of his greatest hits include Piggy and the Apple, The Circus Crash on Monkey Lane, F*c* You Clown and countless ghost stories told while parked in cemeteries at night. He had a gift for making the mundane feel magical and the spooky feel hilarious.
His family has so much more they could say, but, as Mr. Towell would put it, “that would go over like a fart in a whirlwind.” So they’ll just say that he made them laugh, he made them think and he made them better. They will all miss him dearly. He was incredibly proud of his family and lived vicariously through their lives. He was a devoted and tender-hearted cat dad.
He is survived by his beloved children, Jana (Roy) Wade, Diane (Bill) Taylor and Austin (Jeanne) Towell; grandchildren, Ethan Richards, Will and Wyatt Taylor and Marcus and Dathan Towell; sisters, Pat Morgan, Carol Blankenship, Margie Lamb, Kathy Robin Hering; many nieces and nephews and cat-child, Luckey.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Gladys Towell; brother, David Towell; and cat-child, Honey.
