Rowan Ethridge's Obituary
Rowan "Gene" Genevieve Ethridge, A DC/Baltimore theatre lighting electrician, lighting designer, and painter dies at age 27.
Rowan "Gene" Genevieve Ethridge of Arnold passed away unexpectedly and of unknown causes on Thursday, June 8. They were 27 years old and their pronouns were they/them.
Born in Takoma Park, Rowan grew up in Greenbelt, Maryland before moving to Arnold, Maryland at the age of four. They were the child of Jeffrey Noel Ethridge, a retired Northrop Grumman software engineer and Kimberly Hyland Ethridge, website manager at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. They are also survived by their brother, Kevin Alexander Ethridge, of Seattle, Washington.
Born in 1995, Rowan was known from childhood as a hugger and flower lover. Their smile was infectious and as a youngster their mother's boss nicknamed them "Sunshine." That personality continued throughout their brief life, and they are remembered by friends and colleagues as an amazing person who brightened the lives of everyone they touched with their kind and loving nature. They were the type of person who, rather than shying away from a homeless person asking for money, would carry a pastry or fruit with them to hand out, or take them to the local 7-11 and tell them to get whatever they wanted.
Rowan loved to dance and sing and took dance lessons from a young age. They attended St. John's Elementary School in Severna Park, where they also participated in Girl Scouts, before transferring to Broadneck Elementary School, where they participated in music and chorus and had the opportunity to take their love of space to NASA Space Camp on a school field trip. Rowan continued in chorus at Broadneck High School, and became involved in theater, where they appeared in several musical productions and worked in stage tech. A talented singer, they also performed with the Annapolis Chorale for a short time. From 2011 to 2017 they performed in and worked tech crew with 2nd Star Productions at the Bowie Playhouse. But performing turned out not to be their main love, not surprising for a teenager who got most excited on their birthday over presents of an electric drill and steel-toed boots. They attended Anne Arundel Community College for Theater Arts and moved on to receive their Bachelor's of Science in Theater Design and Production from Towson University. While at Towson, they were known for their friendships, humor, beautiful voice, and stage tech savvy. As a senior, they were also remembered for their "dream" role--a powerful and impactful portrayal of St. Jimmy in a student production of "Green Day's American Idiot"--and for the joy they brought fellow actors and crew and the stronger friendships formed.
After college, Rowan entered the apprentice program at Olney Theater Center as an electrician's apprentice in 2021 and 2022. Since completing their apprenticeship, they have worked as a DC/Baltimore lighting electrician, lighting designer, painter, and scenic charge for theaters including Baltimore's Center Stage, The Strand Theater, Gala Hispanic Theater, Studio Theatre, and The Dance Loft on 14. They loved crafting stage environments and atmospheres through scenography and working in devised theatre, whether it be plays or dance, and loved to explore the human condition through color and movement.
A promising, loving, joyful life was cut short on June 8th. Rowan will be terribly missed, but we are blessed for the joy and light (of all kinds) they brought to those around them while they were with us. Rowan's legacy for those who knew them was to inspire their best selves, and their memory will continue to inpire friends and family in the pursuit of bettering oneself, to have compassion for those you don't understand, and to be fiercely loyal to your authentic self.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either Native American Lifelines at nativeamericanlifelines.org or the Annapolis/Anne Arundel County Chapter of PFLAG at pflagannapolis.org.
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