James Tucker “JT” Lowe
James Tucker “JT” Lowe of Langley passed away on July 28 at Careage of Whidbey at the age of 92.
JT was born in Sacramento, Calif. on Sept. 23, 1922, to Russell and Alice (Tucker) Lowe. He grew up on an 80-acre farm with his brother Richard in Woodland, Calif.
In his early years, JT would work on the farm, consume large amounts of prunes and invent contraptions that would make any mother cringe with fear of the potential destruction that may unfold.
After serving as a pilot in WWII, he attended University of California, Davis for two years before graduating from UC Berkeley with a bachelor of science in geophysics. During his time in college, JT also competed in collegiate boxing and wrestling.
JT enjoyed a long and fruitful career working in the aerospace division at Lockheed Martin. He not only took pride in his work, but he also truly relished the opportunities to contribute on projects that involved his love of the ocean. Over the years, his work brought him hundreds of feet under water in a hardhat diving suit and thousands of feet down in a submersible.
JT’s passion for the ocean led him to become a scuba diving instructor and a founding member of the scuba diving club, Aqua Tutus. The ocean is also where he met his wife, Mary Evans, when he was her scuba diving instructor. He married Mary on July 4, 1965 and raised their family in the Bay Area.
After retiring from Lockheed Martin, JT relocated with his wife to Whidbey Island where they both became full-time artists. He was a very talented wood sculptor who specialized in miniatures, female bodices, and nautical ships. JT regularly collaborated with Mary on beautiful works of art combining his wood sculpting with her glass fusing. Their work is displayed at the local artist cooperative in Langley.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Mary (Evans) Lowe; his daughters, Martha Kelly, Carol Kinner, and Kendra Johnson; his brother, Richard Lowe; his grandsons, Erik Kelly and Kenneth Johnson; his granddaughter, Ali Kinner; and his great-granddaughter, Autumn Kelly. He was a loving, caring, and humorous husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
JT’s family would like to express their gratitude to Careage of Whidbey for their care they provided him. A potluck to celebrate his life with family and close friends will be held at the family home in Langley at a later date.
