Mara Elliotte Rowton

Mara Elliotte Rowton lived an incredibly full life for someone who was only eleven years old. She had just finished 5th grade at Stingley Elementary in Centerville, Ohio a few weeks before she passed on June 10, 2026. Alex and Amanda Rowton were thrilled to welcome Mara to the world on October 2, 2014. She brought tremendous joy to her family and friends. She was especially close to her younger brother, Marvin. The two of them spent countless hours playing together, laughing, learning, and embarking on new adventures as a family. Mara's heart was full of kindness. She always looked for opportunities to help others. She was known to invest in her relationships through small, incredibly thoughtful acts. On multiple occasions, she spent her hard-earned allowance to buy special gifts at the school book fair for her brother. When Mara learned her friend Penny was moving away, she went out of her way to get matching friendship necklaces for the both of them. She was perceptive too, despite her young age. On one occasion she knew her friend CeCe was feeling down, so she wanted to fill a jar with hand-written affirmations as a gift of encouragement. Mara was also a selfless supporter. She volunteered as a “Beekeeper” at Stingley Elementary, supporting the “Honeycomb,” which is the school's group dedicated to educating and developing special needs students. Mara wanted to be well-prepared for the challenges of middle school and was excited for all the new opportunities. Her favorite school subject was art. She was especially skilled at drawing cute and silly animals with big, sparkly eyes. Alex and Amanda encouraged her to channel her creativity and artistry into music as well. Mara was so eager to play violin in the Tower Heights Middle School Orchestra that she insisted on starting lessons right away in order to practice all summer. She had completed her first lesson and was practicing violin every night. Mara knew the importance of academic scholarship too. While most kids would think math tutoring was a burden, Mara maintained a positive attitude while attending math lessons 2 to 3 times per week. Mara’s interests were diverse. She was most notably an animal lover. She had an endless amount of love, patience, and care for Laila, Riley, and Checo (her cat and two dogs). Mara was a true girly girl. She was obsessed with the color pink, and she loved doing her hair, nails, and wearing makeup. She loved to shop for clothes and makeup with her friends. She enjoyed sleepovers, meeting at the park, singing karaoke, and dancing with her besties. Mara was a well-rounded athlete too. Her lacrosse team dubbed her 'The Battler' for her tenacious defense. She had just finished her third season and was well loved by her coaches and teammates. Mara trained for more than 5 years in Taekwondo, ultimately earning her 2nd degree black belt. Mara's confidence and discipline flourished as a result of her martial arts training. She worked hard on her forms and self-defense techniques. She could break boards with her bare hands as early as age 8. However, her signature technique was the axe kick where she would routinely smash boards with her heel at every belt test. Alex and Amanda were very proud of Mara, but most importantly they knew she was proud of herself. Summer was Mara's favorite season. She loved swimming with her brother and friends at Black Oak Swim Club. Mara was a huge fan of the Dayton Dragons Baseball Team and really enjoyed attending games with her family. Her spunky, silly personality would come out when they played her favorite walk-up songs. She never missed an opportunity to get Graeter's Black Raspberry chip ice cream in a tiny baseball helmet for dessert, and she would run to the dugouts after every game to get memorabilia signed by any player she could find. As a big sister, she would always make sure Marvin got a spot in line and had something signed for himself too. Along with her pink Air Jordans, Mara was always sporting her Dragons jersey and ball cap whenever she could. Mara was a kind and caring soul. She knew the world was full of opportunities and always wanted to make things better for those around her. Her zest for life and willingness to extend kindness to others is an example we should follow. Mara's final act of kindness was emblematic of the way she lived her life. As an organ donor, Mara's gifts were able to save or improve the lives of 6 others, making her a 'Unicorn Donor.' We would all be well served to live like Mara did: extend kindness to others, build self-confidence, invest in relationships, and be intentional in seizing moments to spread joy. Her parents, Alex and Amanda, her brother Marvin, and countless others will miss her terribly. If you would like to honor Mara in a way she would love, please consider donating to 4 Paws for Ability, 207 Dayton Avenue, Xenia, OH 45385 or to The Birthday Party Project, 2143 Farrington Street, Dallas, TX 75207. Family and friends will celebrate Mara privately. Arrangements in care of The Final Legacy. Please consider sharing stories and words of encouragement at reislegacycenter.com.

Mara Elliotte Rowton

October 2, 2014 - June 10, 2026