Walter Edward Lowrie

Obituary Walter Lowrie, 74, of Tacoma, died on May 14, 2010, after a very brief struggle with pancreatic cancer. Born in Tacoma on May 22, 1935, son of W. William and Anne Fordyce Lowrie, Walter graduated from Lincoln High School, class of '53. He continued his education at the University of Puget Sound, earning a B.A. in history in 1958, and then at the University of Washington, where he earned an M.A. in history in 1960, interrupting his forty-four years of teaching for the three years needed to complete his Ph.D. in history at Syracuse University in 1975. Beloved teacher, valued colleague, wise mentor, Walter taught generations of students the excitement of historical inquiry and the power of critical thinking and precise prose. Those who mourn his death include his wife, Leslie Gould, his sons, Reed, John, and Giffin; his daughter Caitlin, and his daughter-in-law Amy Hollywood. His sister Sally Drury, step-father Roswell Duppenthaler, step-brother Jim Duppenthaler, and cousin Rowland Hill also survive him. He is predeceased by his parents, his step-sister Lindy Barnes, and his brother-in-law Bill Drury. Long-time member of the Tacoma Lawn & Tennis Club and the Eliot Club, Walter especially cherished his church family at Immanuel Presbyterian Church where he served as a teacher of Adult Sunday School, clerk of session, and as an elder. He was especially grateful to those choir members who sang hymns at his bedside just hours before his death. A memorial service will be held for Walter at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 901 North J Street, at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 20, with a reception immediately following at the University of Puget Sound. Memorials made to his church will be used to fund the Walter Lowrie Immanuel Speaker Series, designed to encourage the type of creative discourse he valued so highly. Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home.