Wardlaw, Rowan

Rowan Howard Warren Daniels Wardlaw

Rowan Howard Warren Daniels Wardlaw passed away unexpectedly at the tender age of seven, on Good Friday, April 3rd 2026, at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario.

Rowan was born at home in Toronto, Ontario on the hot and stormy evening of August 17th, 2018. He was welcomed by his parents, Holly and Charles, and his adoring and fiercely protective big sister, Nayeli. He will be deeply missed by his family, and the many other individuals he was surrounded and supported by throughout his life.

Rowan was magic. Anyone who was fortunate to have spent time with him was blessed with the opportunity to experience his purity, intense joy, and overwhelming love. Rowan was born with the genetic condition, Lissencephaly, which resulted in many physical challenges and deficits. However, none of that hindered his ability to communicate and “talk” with us, and experience immense joy. His laughing spells and belly laughs were the most rapturous sounds any of us have ever heard. He was a very brave and strong little boy, who fought so hard and taught us to never give up.

Rowan adored music, car rides (he loved going fast like his Mama), watching leaves dance in the wind and cast shadows, playing under his turtle gym and giggling away, lights, watching movies (especially with “big eyed” characters), and trips to watch the fish swim at Ripley’s Aquarium. But most especially, he loved to cuddle in the arms of his parents and sister. His favourite thing was to be in our arms and lap. To borrow a line from a fellow mother of child with Rowan’s same condition, “it’s a blessing to be a magnet for a miracle”. It sure was. We will miss our sweet miracle for the rest of our days until we’re all together again.

We would like to thank the many earth angels Rowan was supported by throughout his life including: the entire team at SMILE Therapy for Kids, especially his longtime PT, Jessica McCallum, who worked so hard to help Rowan have the best possible resources and development and was so loving with him, Lori Dalcourt and team for sharing their expertise, devotion, and countless hours to “learning” Rowan and tailoring his medical equipment to his unique needs, his OHAH care coordinator, Mary Brown, who supported both Rowan and his family in so many ways, and his homecare team: Belle, Joy, Lovejit, Bernice, and Marisol, who cared for little Rowan like he was their family, which was all we could have ever hoped for.

Rowan is survived by his loving family: parents Holly and Charles and his big sister Nayeli, as well as his grandparents Rob and Elly Clark, and Charles Hamilton Wardlaw, Auntie Laura (Pete) and cousins Lachlan and Tessa, as well as his entire extended family.

A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday May 26th at 11:00am, at St Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church in Cambridge, Ontario. Cremation has already taken place. Please join our family in remembering and celebrating his short but magnificent life, and our ever-lasting love.