Retired teacher, coach makes blankets for Angel Wings

Published by admin on Wed, 11/13/2024 - 7:00pm

Ralph and Leola Rowley started making blankets for Angel Wings Network a few years ago. They are used for the nonprofit organization’s care bags, which are provided to cancer patients. Leola has since been limited in her involvement, but Ralph continues to churn out blankets, surpassing 500 a week ago. Photo by Philip A. Janquart
By: 
Philip A. Janquart
One of the secrets of life, according to Ralph Rowley, is staying busy.
 He is a retired teacher and a very successful long-time coach, mentoring kids and athletes over a career that spans more than 40 years.
 At 85, he is still contributing to his community, making blankets for Angel Wings Network in Weiser.
 To date, he has made an astounding 500 blankets, which are put into Angel Wings’ care bags for cancer patients.
 The blankets serve to help provide a bit of comfort for those traveling down their individual cancer journeys.
 “To me, when I think about volunteers and how important they are to organizations like ours, I think he is just the epitome of the perfect volunteer,” said Angel Wings CEO Mabel Dobbs. “I mean, you couldn’t write a better description of the perfect volunteer than Ralph Rowley.”
 Dobbs first crossed paths with Ralph and his wife Leola at a meeting of the Lower Snake River chapter of the Retired Educators Association of Idaho. 
 Rowley taught science, health and P.E. and coached almost every sport at one time or another within the Fruitland School District.
 He took teams to, and won, state championships, received a volleyball Referee of the Year award and several Coach of the Year awards, and was inducted into the McDermitt, Nev. High School Hall of Fame while receiving an array of other recognitions for his coaching. 
 The rooms of his house, and especially the wall of his garage, are adorned with plaques and trophies. 
 As a Payette County commissioner, he helped build Mesa Park in Fruitland for which he received public recognition.
 “I don’t like to waste time, so I do things,” he told the Signal American last week. “If it’s not for me, it’s for others.”
 So, when Ralph and Leola met Dobbs and learned about the blankets, they gave it some thought and decided to volunteer.
 “I did a luncheon for the retired teachers and Ralph and Leola were part of that group,” Dobbs explained. “We had a couple blankets there and we were talking about what we do. A couple weeks later, he came and said that he had been thinking about it and that he wanted to do it.”
 It was good timing because Angel Wings was looking for an organization or individual to do the work that Washington County 4-H once handled before COVID. 
 After the pandemic, the club decided it wanted to commit to other activities.
 “We were kind of struggling there for a while,” Dobbs said. “We were concerned how we were going to do this. That prayer blanket component is a huge piece of our outreach. Without it, it would be a real struggle. Then, ‘Poof!’ Ralph comes along and it’s just been an answer to a prayer and such a blessing for us.”
 Ralph and Leola started doing the blankets together, but Leola has since had complications with an illness. Ralph now works on the blankets himself and keeps churning them out.
 “I love it; it’s been fun,” Ralph said. “I never really set any goals on how many I would do, but this year, after I did 450 of them, Mabel said, ‘You know what? We are going to challenge you to 500 before the first of the year,’ so I’ve been pumping them out like crazy.” 
 He has devoted so much time and effort to the cause, he has already met the challenge, finishing his 500th fleece blanket just last week.
 “I’ve gone through about four pairs of scissors,” he said. “I’ve got sharpeners, but you don’t cut many blankets like this without going through some scissors.”
 “I am so proud we have a Ralph Rowley in our community,” Dobbs said. “He does a beautiful job. When you talk volunteers, he’s the poster child in my opinion.”
 Ralph said that if he has any advice for others, it’s to stay busy and that kids should make sure they put education at the top of their list of priorities.
 “Education is probably the biggest thing I’ve loved doing. My students love me from everywhere. They are always saying ‘Hi’ when I see them,” he said. “But kids have to remember to stay in school and get their education. They need to honor themselves and their family. There’s nothing more important than being true to yourself.”

 

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