Rachael Katherine Stowe

Surrounded by family and friends in her home in South Bend, Indiana, Rachael Katherine Stowe died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, July 2, following a battle with cancer.

Rachael was born on November 26, 1984, in Charlotte, North Carolina. She came to South Bend as a child when her parents, Gene and Donna Stowe, decided to move so that Rachael and her siblings could attend Trinity School at Greenlawn. Rachael earned numerous academic excellence honors, including the school’s Graduate Award. She attended Saint Mary's College, where she graduated in 2007 with degrees in mathematics and humanistic studies. At Saint Mary’s, Rachael lived out her passion for justice and helping others, completing two Summer Service programs with Refugee Services in South Bend. As a student, she received the Saint Catherine Medal, the Thomas More Award, and the Outstanding Senior Award from the Alumnae Association. After graduating, she continued to give back to the college she loved so much, supporting the Madeleva Society, sitting on the National Advisory Council for the College’s Christian Culture Lecture, and serving as a member of the Down the Avenue Steering Committee. In 2022, she received the Outstanding Young Alumna Award in recognition of all her work.

Rachael’s greatest joy and passion in life was her family. She met Jeffery Show, the love of her life, through mutual friends. They married on July 10, 2010 and had four children—Molly, Emma, Callan, and Pippin. Their deep sense of awe and wonder for God’s creation guided their family’s approach to life. Together, they instilled an appreciation of beauty, sense of curiosity, and love of learning in their children through homeschooling and extensive travel. This allowed them to continually explore the wonders of the world, from the  beauty of national parks to the sights and sounds of Rome, which Rachael considered a home away from home. Rachael documented these travels through her blog, where she also explored her Catholic faith, offered thoughts on parenting, and shared a mindful, minimalist approach to living—one that prioritized experiences and relationships over material possessions. In recent years, Rachael used her writing to reflect on the realities of trusting in God in the midst of living with terminal cancer.

Rachael is survived by family members including her husband, Jeffery Show; children, Molly, Emma, Callan, and Pippin Stowe Show; mother, Donna Stowe; father, Gene Stowe; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Jeffery and Maureen Show; and siblings, Josh Stowe, Michael (Megan) Stowe, Hannah Stowe, Charity Stowe, and Emily (Sean) Kronewitter; nephews and nieces, Xander Stowe, Dylan Stowe, and Kaiden, Nora, and Dax Kronewitter; grandmother, Beverly Stowe; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, July 6 from 5-8 p.m., at the McGann Hay, Granger Chapel, 13260 SR 23, enter off Cherry Rd. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday at 9:30 a.m., at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on the campus of Notre Dame.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society. https://donate.cancer.org/