The Rev. Canon John Fletcher Lowe, Jr., Class of 1959, died peacefully at home on August 25, 2021, age 89. Lowe received our Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007 for his many years of ministry and work as the Executive Director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.

Born March 11, 1932 in Greenville, S.C., Lowe graduated from The Gilman School and then Washington & Lee University before attending General. During his Baptismal journey in Christ, he was blessed by family and friends, including: his parents, Mary and Fletcher Lowe; sister, Sally Lowe Fant (now deceased); Mary Fran, wife and dance partner of 64 years, who lovingly shared his Faith, ups and downs and his idiosyncrasies; his children, John, Elizabeth and Suzanne; grandchildren, Jordan, Cameron, Grayson Fletcher and Judah; stepgrandchildren, Ben and Max; daughter-in-law, Nancy; and son-in-law, Jeff. Rachel, whose life in his early years planted the seed of social justice and taught him to respect the dignity of every human being; Dean James Leyburn, guiding light during his life changing Washington and Lee days, whose compassionate Christianity inspired his advocacy for the "least of Christ's brothers and sisters"; Roman Catholic Bishop of Richmond Walter Sullivan, whose courageous social justice and interfaith witness gave him wings; congregations in his native South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware and Europe; friends from the Islamic, Jewish and Christian communities who broadened and deepened his commitment to God; numerous inmates whose lives in Christ have been inspirations; Bill Horner, who never let his disability define who he was; and those on society's margins who reminded him of his call to serve the God of Justice.

Lowe worked passionately for: Reclaiming the centrality of Baptism in the life of the Episcopal Church including the ministry of all the baptized in their daily life and work, Social Justice in Virginia, including getting an Earned Income Tax credit that affected over 200,000 working Virginians, and Liturgical Reform through the Episcopal Church initiating changes to allow lay persons to distribute bread and wine at Eucharist (1970) and lay persons to take communion to the sick and the shut-ins (1985). Along with his many parish and diocesan efforts, he co-edited with Linda Grenz Ministry in Daily Life, Living the Baptismal Covenant (Episcopal Church, 1997), compiled Baptism: the Event and the Adventure (LeaderResources), and with Demi Prentiss was the co-author of Radical Sending: Go to Love and Serve (Church Publishing, 2015).

His life was also blessed and enriched by playing Lacrosse, dancing with Mary Fran, enjoying dark chocolate with mint, collecting nativity sets from around the world, body surfing, wearing Tartan pants and jackets, Don Quixote, windmills, pink flamingoes, jazz, butterflies, bagpipes, circuses, rainbows and traveling to life-expanding places, taking photographs along the way.

A Memorial Eucharist, giving thanks to God for his life, will be celebrated at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Va. at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, Lowe requests that you help someone in need, smile and thank God for your life and contribute to a meaningful organization. His suggestions are: Voices for Virginia's Children, Housing Opportunities Made Equal, the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and the Fellowship Fund of Westminster Canterbury Richmond.

Adapted from an obituary published by Richmond Times-Dispatch on Aug. 29, 2021.