We all know of the inevitable, that death will come. We may be prepared at times, having said our goodbyes and shared final, tender and personal moments.
But when the phone call comes, the trembling voice on the other end of the line, to say what we least expect to hear, a pain envelops our hearts and a sadness takes residence in our souls as we wish for one more day.
Rowland Stiteler, our dear friend and editor here at The Meeting Professional, died last month after suffering a heart attack outside his home in Ecuador.
Rowland joined our team full time in 2014, but his reporting and writing graced the pages of The Meeting Professional (see “Life is Not Scripted” and “’Wow’ On the Water” in the July issue) for many years prior to joining the staff. We had an immediate bond, as he and I had shared experiences having both worked at United Press International wire service and in the newspaper business.
I quickly learned that he was a consummate professional who cared deeply for members and for showcasing the best of our industry in his stories. He was a diligent reporter and a superb wordsmith. He had a deep love for his family, and we will miss his wit, his sense of humor, his passion for animal rescue, his byline and so much more.
His wife, Donna Smith Stiteler, who is a freelance writer for The Meeting Professional, said her husband was returning from the store with a cake for a young boy he was teaching English to when he collapsed. He and his wife would have celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary on the day he died.
“Rowland was and is the love of my life and I cannot think of a life without him,” she said. “I write this through a flood of tears. He was a roller coaster ride—a genius, a gifted journalist with a slew of accolades. Faith helps, but this will take time for me to heal. I’m just trying to figure this out, because I wasn’t ready to let him go."
Neither were we.
“I’ll really miss Rowland because he was a great friend, perhaps the world’s funniest storyteller and a passionate animal rescuer (alongside his wife, Donna), spending many years volunteering with animal charities such as the SPCA,” said Managing Editor Blair Potter. “He was the MPI Tampa Bay Area Chapter Member of the Month for April 2012, and he highlighted that fact in his email signature for quite some time because he was proud of it.”
Senior Editor Michael Pinchera enjoyed hearing Stiteler’s tales about the culture and peculiarities of Texas and Florida, and his trademark phrase, “…but I digress.”
“He’s left us with more than just countless stories; through his attitude and humor, he shared a sustainable way of viewing the world without going mad,” Pinchera said.
Death came to us far too often in June. At the World Education Congress in Toronto, we were saddened to learn that two of our treasured members had passed away—Carol Norfleet, MPI Tennessee Chapter and 2016 RISE Award recipient for Member of the Year, and Peg Wolschon, MPI Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter, whose work led to the 2017 RISE Award for Innovative Educational Programming.
Like Rowland, there’s been an outpouring of support from throughout the MPI community for Carol and Peg, a reflection of their friendship, their grace, their commitment to service and their high professional standards. We will not forget their contributions to our community.
Godspeed Rowland. Godspeed Carol. Godspeed Peg.
Until next time…
Rich Luna
Editor in Chief
rluna@mpiweb.org