Robert S. Loweth
Robert Stevens Loweth was born March 17,1939, in Mineola, New York to Arthur and Emily Loweth. He grew up in West Hempstead, New York along with his older siblings George and Marion. He attended Fulton Street Elementary School and Hempstead High School. In high school, Bob, as he preferred to be called, played clarinet in the excellent band and orchestra. It was there that he fell in love with classical music, especially Brahms.
Bob graduated from Hofstra College (Long Island, New York) in 1961 with a major in Economics. Bob then attended Wharton Graduate School at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and graduated in 1962 with an MBA. After graduation, he started working in the publishing business. His first employer was Prentice Hall, where he worked from 1963 to 1968 as a college textbook salesman in Pennsylvania. When he got married in January 1969, he was enrolled in a doctorate program in the Philosophy of Education at Temple University in Philadelphia.
He met his wife Margaret Loweth (formerly Gargasz) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania while working for Prentice Hall. She was an English teacher in the small town of Dallastown near Harrisburg. After getting married, they started their life together in Secane, Pennsylvania (outside of Philadelphia). Unfortunately, Bob had to drop out of the PhD program at Temple University because he got mononucleosis. This led Bob to a new position at New Century (Appleton Century Crofts), which led to the exciting opportunity to move to New York City in 1970 after Bob was promoted to a market research position there. Bob’s greatest aspiration as a young man was to live and work in New York City, and Bob and Margaret enjoyed living on the Upper West Side near Central Park for several years. It was there that they had their two sons, Christopher Winter Loweth (born in 1972) and Colin James Loweth (born in 1973).
In 1974, the family moved to Evanston, Illinois where Bob took a market research job with Scott Foresman in Glenview, Illinois. In 1979, their daughter Jessica Anne was born. Bob and Margaret and their family lived in the academic community of Evanston (home of Northwestern University) for over 30 years, where they formed many close friendships. Bob eventually left Scott Foresman and started to do market consulting for book companies and technical societies. He joined Rotary and was very active in the Evanston club. He also was involved with the Boy Scouts of America with his sons who both became Eagle Scouts.
Bob and Margaret both retired in 2010 so that they could spend time with their grandchildren. They began their time in California, where both of their sons live. Son Christopher, a lawyer, married Kate Straw and moved to Northern California from Illinois where he and Kate and their three children Nora, Patrick, and Joseph (Joe) Loweth still live. Son Colin, who received a PhD in chemistry from UC Berkeley, moved to Southern California, where Bob and Margaret relocated to in 2010. There they helped care for their grandchildren James and Josephine (Josie) Loweth. While in California, Bob was active in the Carlsbad Rotary Club and was the club’s secretary for a number of years. He also tutored at Pilgrim United Church of Christ Church in Carlsbad. In 2015, Bob and Margaret moved back to Evanston, Illinois, to help daughter Jessica and her newborn son Ethan Loweth-Salaam. In 2017, they moved to Cherry Hill, New Jersey when Jessica, an academic researcher with a PhD in neurobiology, relocated there. In November 2017, granddaughter Abigail Grace Loweth-Salaam was born.
Bob was a true intellectual and enjoyed reading about history, politics, religion, and sociology. He instilled a love for science and the humanities in his three children, all of whom went on to receive graduate degrees. He also had a love for theology and was very active in Northminster Presbyterian Church in Evanston, Illinois. There he participated regularly in Adult Electives and served as a deacon and an elder and on various committees. He continued his religious journey in California, where he and Margaret joined the Pilgrim United Church of Christ Church in Carlsbad. Bob especially loved listening to sermons delivered by Reverend Madison Shockley at Pilgrim. Bob also enjoyed family dinners, political discussions, and most recently, trips to the Atlanta Ocean to view migratory birds in Cape May, New Jersey. He also enjoyed visiting Margaret’s family in Volant and New Castle, Pennsylvania.
He died on May 8, 2025, Victory in Europe Day, after a long battle with prostate cancer and heart complications. He is survived by Margaret, his wife of 56 years, his son Christopher and wife Kate, his son Colin, and his daughter Jessica, as well as his grandchildren James, Josie, Nora, Patrick, Joseph, Ethan and Abigail.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend Bob’s Celebration of life on Thursday, June 19th at 11am at Kain-Murphy Funeral Services, 15 West End Ave., Haddonfield, NJ. Interment, private. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to honor Bob can be made to Rotary International or the Rotary Club of Evanston, Illinois or the Rotary Club of Carlsbad, California.
If you wish to attend the funeral services virtually, please email us for the zoom link at: kainmurphy@comcast.net