March 12, 1914 — Aug. 26, 2008
J. Harwood Roland, 94, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday morning, Aug. 26, 2008, in Crossville where he lived with his daughter, Rebecca Hatch, since November 2006.
Mr. Roland was born March 12, 1914, the son of Henry Clay and Edna Bell (Landrus) Roland, of Detroit.
Mr. Roland and his wife, Helen, married in 1933 and had four children: Paul and Daniel, both of whom preceeded their father in death; Tom Roland, an attorney in Berkely, California; and Rebecca Hatch. Six of his siblings have also preceded him in death. He has one brother, Ron, of Ionia, Michigan, and one sister, Naomi, of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He leaves two children, five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild who was born on Monday, the day before Mr. Roland passed.
In addition to being a United Brethren minister for most of his adult life, he worked as a custodian for the Ann Arbor Public Schools from the early 1950s. He retired at age 70. Taking the custodial job is what brought the Rolands to Ann Arbor, where they lived for 52 years.
Harwood and Helen loved to travel, visiting many places including California many times, Oregon, Washington, DC and even the Holy Land.
Visitation will be held from 2-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at Nie Funeral Home, 2400 Carpenter Rd., Ann Arbor, MI. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 30, at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor, MI.
