Fred J. Lowe's Obituary
Fred Junior Lowe, 85 of Tacoma, Washington passed away on January 13, 2016 following a brief illness. Born on August 6, 1930 in Boyd County Kentucky and raised in Ohio, Fred was a retired US Postal Service worker and a veteran of the Korean Conflict. Fred is survived by his wife of 62 years, Helen Lowe. He is also survived by two of his thirteen siblings, brother Leo and sister Dixie Schmidt both of Michigan; his two children, Timothy of Spokane and Yvonne Levy (David) of Shoreline,WA; six grandsons, Nick Levy (Shoreline) Austin Lowe (Spokane) Gerson Levy (Enumclaw) Keanan Levy (Hawaii) Derek Lowe (Seattle) Drew Lowe (Bothell); and four great-grandchildren. Fred is preceded in death by six sisters and five brothers.
Fred and his twin brother enlisted in the US Navy under the buddy system when they were 17 years old (1947). Due to an injury, his twin was unable to complete Navy basic training and both Fred and his twin were honorably discharged under the terms of their enlistment. After working various jobs in construction, as a mechanic and as a timber cutter, Fred was drafted into the US Army and served at bases in CA, AK, and WA from 1951 – 1953. He was honorably discharged from the US Army at the end of the Korean Conflict. Fred was a handsome young soldier serving at Ft. Lewis when he met and married Helen Kraft. Together they built a good life for their family in Tacoma.
Fred and Helen were avid campers, traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest, Canada, California, Utah, and Nevada. They enjoyed weekly dances and Polka Fests with their many friends and neighbors in Tacoma. Several of their long-time friends in Tacoma are/were also “North Dakota transplants.” Helen and Fred returned to Selfridge, ND every summer for many years while their children were growing up. They visited Helen’s family and friends and camped in many national and state parks along the way. Fred kept an immaculate yard, raised a big garden every year, and together they made sausage and smoked it in a smoke house Fred built on their lot.
The family requests donations to the American Lung Association in lieu of flowers.
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