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FNC loses a great Leader and Friend


Rev. Marshall Lowell, pastor of St. Catherines Episcopal Church and Board Member of the Family Nurturing Center of Florida, Inc. passed away suddenly on June 23, 2007. He was a kind, generous, and inspirational leader to FNC and he will be sorely missed. Quick with a joke, he always brought an upbeat and positive mood to Board Meetings and his experience as a administraitor and leader were invaluable to the organization. “I never got a joke passed Marshall before he filled in the punchline” remembers Executive Director Joe Nullet, “But more importantly, he had a special place in his heart for children we served and the staff members at FNC who worked with them, giving generously both of his time and resources to support our mission.”

From the Jax Times Union:

Marshall was born October 29, 1945, to The Rev. Howard M. Lowell and Nancy Sparklin Jackson Lowell in New Bedford, MA. From his father, Marshall inherited a pervasive twinkle in the eye and compassion for all of God’s children. From his mother, he received the gift of the spoken word. From both, he learned service and outreach and warm compassion for his fellow man. The family moved to Locust Valley, NY in 1954. He attended St. Andrews School and graduated from Salisbury School. He attended Hobart College for two years before entering the U S Naval Reserve.

He served on active duty in Adak, AK, then in the Reserves, serving for a total of sixteen years both enlisted and as a line officer in the Naval Security Group. After leaving active duty he, entered C. W. Post College, graduating with honors. Marshall received his M Div from General Theological Seminary in New York. He was ordained as a Deacon in October of 1977 and as a priest in December of 1979. Marshall served as lay minister in charge and later Vicar of Trinity Church, Mackinac Island, MI. In 1982 he moved to St. Petersburg, FL, initially serving as Assistant to the Dean of St. Peter’s Cathedral, then a short-term Missionary to Uganda in 1983. He worked as an alcohol and substance abuse counselor from 1984 to 1986.

While living in St. Petersburg Marshall first became involved in the ministries of Kairos, Christian Healing Ministries, and Cursillo. At St. Peter’s Cathedral he also met his wife, Dottie, in a small prayer group. Marshall and Dottie married in 1986 and moved to Jacksonville, where Marshall was Associate at St. Peter’s Church. Following his interim work at St. Peter’s, Marshall became the first full-time Vicar of St. Margaret’s, Hibernia, leading that church to Parish status. After leaving St. Margaret’s, Marshall served churches in Welaka and Crescent City before becoming Rector of St. Catherine’s, Jacksonville until the Lord set him free. Marshall was a loveable character in the best sense of the word. He was a fifty year fan of the New York Rangers. He had a fabulous sense of humor, a mind like a steel trap that loved trivia, and he had an irrepressible passion for the Church and for the people he served.

He knew Jesus as the Lord of Transformation. He was a faithful servant in prayer ministry at Christian Healing Ministries, and the Lord worked through him in miraculous ways. He saw first hand over and over again the power of the Living God to change lives, to heal generational sins, and to turn sinners into saints. Marshall was the very proud father of his son from his first marriage, Matthew. Marshall is survived by his wife, Dorothy Dicus Lowell of Green Cove Springs, FL his son, H. Matthew Lowell of Riverview, FL , his two sisters Ann S. Lowell of Amherst, MA and Elizabeth M. Lowell of Harvard, MA, one niece, two nephews, and their five children.

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