Donald H. Lowe, 82, of Framingham, Massachusetts and Bretton Woods, New Hampshire died Friday, December 17, 2021, at his Bretton Woods home. Diane Lowe, his wife for 59 years, was at his side holding his hand as he passed.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Don was the son of the late Lawrence and Christine Lowe. As a child, he lived in well over a dozen states throughout the American South, Midwest, and Southwest; spent his early adulthood in Memphis; and moved to Framingham in 1973, the town he called home for 48 years.
Don graduated from the University of Memphis in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism, and proudly served in the United States Army for six years. He was honorably discharged in 1967. Don served as managing editor for The Collierville Herald and a reporter for The Whitehaven Press before a career in sales with optical companies Univis, Inc., Martin-Copeland, and Rodenstock USA. After his retirement from the optical industry, he worked at the Framingham State University Bookstore for 15 years.
Don was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Framingham and a former member of the Whitehaven Methodist Church in Memphis.
Outgoing and full of energy, Don was a lively storyteller with a great sense of humor. He enjoyed country & western music, classic car shows, and keeping his home and yard in tiptop shape. Don especially loved being active and outside in every season of the year—swimming and water skiing in the summer months, hiking and mountain biking into the fall, and downhill skiing through the winter and early spring. In his later years, when such activities became increasingly challenging for him, Don could still be found enjoying his morning coffee out by the pool, taking in the beauty of the White Mountains on the back deck, or going for long rides on rail trails in his Falcon all-terrain chair.
Don was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and was wholeheartedly devoted to his family. Besides his wife, Don leaves a daughter and son-in-law, Melanie Lowe and Stan Link of Nashville, Tennessee; a son and daughter-in-law, Brandon and Christine Lowe of Cumberland, Rhode Island; five grandchildren: Wednesday Link of Nashville, and Jackson, Olivia, William, and Julia Lowe of Cumberland. He also leaves his brother-in-law, Richard Van Zandt of Marlboro, Massachusetts.
In 2018, Don and Diane endowed a scholarship for Elementary Education majors at Framingham State University. Memorial donations may be made in memory of Don Lowe to the Diane L. Lowe Literacy Scholarship at Framingham State University. To visit the donation page use the following link. Please note that you must include the www for the link to work correctly. www.alumni.framingham.edu/Lowe
A private memorial service for the family will take place in the late spring or early summer.