RAYMOND YOUNG LOWE

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RAYMOND YOUNG LOWE After a long and well-lived life on earth the heavenly gods within the powers of the universe peacefully summoned our father and grandfather Raymond Young Lowe to the highest council on January 19, 2005. Ray's spirit will shine on through his children, Ron (Jane) Alan, Patricia (Doug); his daughters-in-law, Wendy and Cynthia; and his grandchildren, Kelly (Lee), Jodie (John), Jaime (Dave), Darren, Andrea, Amanda, Stefanie; as well as his many nieces and nephews across Canada. Our family in our deepest heartache takes serenity that Ray is reunited with his wife of 55 years Pat, his mother and father and all his siblings, Kimball, Nellie, Ella, Shirley, Tom and his nephew Wilfrid (Tubby). Ray was born the youngest of six children on October 29, 1913 in Victoria, BC. His mother passed away when he was quite young and he was raised by his pop and his brothers and sisters. He lived in Victoria until 1929 and left to work as a salesman in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and eventually Winnipeg. He volunteered for the Canadian army after the Second World War started. Part of his basic training was in England where he met his future wife Pat Flaherty, a Canadian girl whose family was travelling and visiting relatives when they were marooned in England as war erupted. He was one of a handful of Canadian soldiers who was selected by the Canadian Military Intelligence to receive specialized commando training. They were recruited and trained for Operation Oblivion run by British Security Coordination (BSC) part of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). The top secret training facility aptly referred to as Commando Bay, is now a heritage site in the Okanagan Provincial Park. In September 1988, a bronze plaque was erected in honour of the 13 Chinese Canadian agents of Force 136 who trained there. It is a testament to the strong character of those Chinese Canadian soldiers who went to fight for Canada behind enemy lines. Ray was discharged in 1945 after having travelled the globe as a soldier. When Ray returned to Winnipeg after the war, he found work with his brother Tom in the produce industry. He bumped into Pat Flahtery again when her family returned to Winnipeg after the war. They were married on February 2, 1948. Ray and Pat resided in Winnipeg where they raised three children. He again partnered with his brother Tom and developed a successful restaurant business. Later he worked in military security from which he retired in 1975. He spent the later years pursuing his many hobbies that included cooking, painting and sculpting, raising his grandchildren and simply enjoying life. Ray believed that the universe tends to unfold as it should. He chose to live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets. Always sensing the lighter side of life, Ray was our family's resident optimist. Hours spent with him were guaranteed to be insightful and inspirational. It was a privilege to know him as well as we did. He touched our souls, raised our hopes and dreams, and inspired our smiles. He may be out of our arms but he'll never be out of our hearts. Cremation has taken place. We would like to invite friends and family to join us in a celebration of Raymond Lowe's life at Marigold Restaurant located at 245 King St. on Thursday, January 27 at 2:00 p.m.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 25, 2005