Dorothy Rowe Castles

Dorothy Towles Rowe "Towlesey" Castles, 84, of Santee in Caroline County died peacefully Thursday Dec. 22. 2011, at her home, Santee.

She was the widow of Lt. Gen. John G. "Jack" Castles (U.S. Army Ret.).

Born and raised in Fredericksburg, the daughter of Dorothy Dickinson Rowe and Capt. Maurice Broaddus Rowe Jr., she spent her early years at Brompton and later lived at Altoona.

Towlesey attended James Monroe High School and graduated from Mary Washington College. She taught in Falmouth at Gari Melchers Elementary School for 11 years before devoting herself to raising her family at Santee. She was actively involved in the affairs of the farm, raising cattle and keeping and showing horses--a lifelong passion. A love of gardening and nature gave her pleasure throughout her life. Well-tended garden beds and abundant, mature trees graced the grounds of her home. Dogs were important to her, and she had many beloved pets. She loved time spent on the water with her family both on the Chesapeake Bay on the Santee II and vacations at the beach with her family. She valued historic preservation, and through the efforts of Towlesey and Jack, Santee was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. She supported the efforts of the Garden Club of Virginia by opening Santee for Historic Garden Week in Virginia. She also encouraged her husband's military career, which spanned more than 40 years.

She was a member of the Rappahannock Valley Garden Club, the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, Preservation Virginia and the ladies memorial Association. A devout Christian, she was a member of St. George's Episcopal Church but also attended St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Port Royal, and Round Oak Baptist Church, Corbin.

Survivors include her brother Maurice B. Rowe III and his wife, Joyce, of Richmond; a daughter, Sally Peyton Castles of Santee; her son Col. John G. Castles II (U.S. Army Ret.) and his wife, Ann Robyn, of Fredericksburg; and five grand-daughters, Peyton Massad, Caroline, Taylor and Ann Prescott and Lucy Castles. She was preceded in death by a brother, Peyton D. Rowe.

A funeral will be held Thursday Dec. 29, at 2:00 PM in St. George's Episcopal Church, Fredericksburg, with burial to follow in the Confederate Cemetery. After the burial, the family will receive friends at Santee.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ladies Memorial Association, 1412 Sophia St., Fredericksburg, VA 22401; or to Preservation Virginia, at preservationvirginia.org.