Laurie Anne Lowe's Obituary
Laurie Lowe, RN PhD 6/8/1930 -9/29/2013
Long time Berkeley resident
Loving mother and grandmother, devoted sister, dear friend and adventurous businesswoman, Laurie Lowe has died from the affects of Alzheimer’s disease. She leaves behind her four children, Beth, Todd, Brian and Colin Jersey, their spouses and her five above average grandchildren, her siblings Mark Lowe and Martha Hadden and their families, and many wonderful friends. She was predeceased by her parents, William and Anne Lowe.Laurie’s life was sometimes challenging but she took life’s lemons and made great lemonade. She was born in the depths of the Great Depression but was the first of her family to go to college. A single mother of four, Laurie moved 3000 miles from New Jersey to the Bay Area, where she started over, earned both an MS and a PhD, and developed a lucrative independent business. And when her daughter announced that she was pregnant with Laurie’s first grandchild, Laurie embraced this change by writing her dissertation about becoming a grandmother.Laurie was a beautiful woman who loved music and opera, great books and plays, art and culture. Her home was always filled with lovely pieces of furniture and works of art. She traveled throughout the world from Europe to China, and delighted in the new and different. And she was devoted to the Sunday New York Times.Starting out as a psychiatric nurse, Laurie developed a successful independent care management practice that provided court-appointed conservatorships for elderly or handicapped clients. Ironically, she provided devoted care to elderly sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease, paying forward for the loving care that she would later receive when she developed the disease.Despite her illness, Laurie never lost her wonderful sense of humor, her caring nature, her sweet disposition. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.A private memorial is planned for late November. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Laurie’s name to the San Francisco Symphony or the Alzheimers Association.
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