Obituary of Jim Lowe

The funeral will be held at 1:00 PM on Monday, May 18, 2015 at Willamette Christian Center in Eugene for Jim Rodman Lowe of Eugene, who died May 10th of cancer. He was 86 years old.Jim was born July 12, 1928, in Ardmore, Oklahoma. He was educated in Ardmore through high school, except for one year when he attended four high schools, because his father was moving around the country doing defense work during World War II.He entered the University of Oklahoma at age 17 and graduated at 20, forever a Sooners fan, with a BA in Journalism and a nomination for Rhodes Scholar. In 1969 he received his MA in Communications from the University of Tulsa.Mr. Lowe married Norma Jo Brenner of Barnsdall, Oklahoma, in 1949. The marriage lasted almost 63 years until Mrs. Lowe died in 2011. They are survived by their two children and their families; Rod Lowe and his wife Theresa Brow-Nickels of Grand Rapids, MI and Rhonda Lowe Costanza and her husband Gene Costanza of Eugene, two grandsons, Micah and his wife Kristin, of Los Angeles and Kelly of Eugene.After two years working as a reporter and editor on daily newspapers, Mr. Lowe began teaching high school English and Journalism, which he continued for 30 years. His school newspapers and yearbooks won numerous national awards. In 1970 his textbook on yearbook design was published and sold nationally. He taught in schools in Oklahoma, Texas and his last 20 years in Lompoc, CA. After retiring from the classroom, he spent five years doing public relations and communications work for the Lompoc school district.Mr. and Mrs. Lowe were seasoned world travelers, loved watching BBC, classical music, and attending live performances. Mr. Lowe enjoyed snow skiing, reading, writing, studying theology, doing acrostics and winning any game he played including tennis, bowling, chess, board games, and cards.In Eugene, Mr. and Mrs. Lowe attended Willamette Christian Center, where he taught adult Sunday school and night classes for the last 29 years. “The most important event in life is finding Jesus Christ as your savior,” he steadfastly believed.His novel, “The Case of the Beautiful Bootlegger,” available on Amazon.com, contains both fiction and historical details from the 30’s. His next historical novel in the series, “The Case of the Nasty Nazis” remains unfinished.Private burial will be at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Eugene. Remembrances to Willamette Christian Center Food Pantry or flowers are appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary.