Obituary - Alvhild 'Hildie' Lowell

Friday, January 05, 2007
THE JUNEAU EMPIRE

Longtime Juneau resident Alvhild "Hildie" Lowell, 83, died Nov. 16, 2006, at St. Peters Memorial Hospital in Olympia, Wash.

She was born Mar. 15, 1923, in Oklee, Hickory Township, Minn. Her parents, Olga and the Rev. Sivert Leira- fallom, moved from Minnesota to Lake Stevens, Wash., when she was an infant. She grew up in East Stanwood, Wash., graduating from Lincoln High School in 1940 with honors, then returning to Minnesota, where she attended St. Olaf College in Northfield. It was there that she was nicknamed "Hildie," since fellow students couldn't pronounce Alvhild.

She met Leonard Lowell in the summer of 1942, while working at Boeing, where she inspected the rivets in the wing tips of the B-17s. They were married on June 11, 1943, in Seattle, Wash. They were separated by World War II, but as soon as the war ended, they celebrated with a reunion in Hawaii. On June 6, 1946, they moved to Juneau, Leonard's hometown, and lived there from then on.

She worked for the Territory Welfare Department for five years as an accounting clerk and then for the state Legislature starting in 1955 as an engrossing and enrolling clerk in the House of Representatives and in the 1963 session, as assistant secretary of the Senate. In 1964, she and Leonard adopted a daughter, Lori Ann, and in 1965, a son Robert John. As the children grew, Hildie assisted her husband as his secretary for Leonard Lowell and Associates, a private practice providing professional electrical engineering services. He provided the electrical design for the majority of the harbors in Alaska and various ferry terminals. They ran the business from their home in Juneau until a year or so before his death in 2004.

She and her husband enjoyed fishing on their boat in Southeastern Alaska, as well as running the Taku River and trout fishing in the tributaries of Moose Creek and especially Fish Creek near Canyon Island. She won the first Trout Derby in 1950 with a 253/8-inch cutthroat at Turner Lake. They also enjoyed traveling and vacationed nearly every year in Maui, where they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2003 with their children and grandchildren.

She attended Eagle Wings Community Church, was a member of the Juneau Yacht Club, the Hospital Guild, Pioneers of Alaska and enjoyed water aerobics and bowling for many years. She was pleased with the 600 series she made when she was 73 years old. But being on the boat with Leonard was always her favorite activity.

She moved from Juneau to Lacey, Wash., in August 2006. She was delighted with her new home and the peaceful surroundings of green lawns, tall evergreens and the many gardens.

Her family said she is deeply missed.

She is survived by her daughter, Lori Lowell, of Kula, Hawaii; son, Robert Lowell, of Kelso, Wash.; daughter-in-law, Carrie Lowell; grandchildren, Kerstin Powers Lowell, of Spokane, Wash., MacKenzie, Jonathan, Nicolas and Meara Lowell, of Kelso, and Xan, Shayne and Cheyenne Moore, of Central Point, Ore.; sister, Frida Layton, of Long Beach, Calif.; numerous brothers and sisters-in-law; many nieces and nephews; relatives in Norway; and many friends.

A service will be scheduled at a later date.

The family can be reached at P.O. Box 10714, Lahaina, HI, 96761.