Obituary of David Lowdell

HAINES CITY - David (Dave) Lowdell About 50 years ago, a young, fresh-faced Carol spotted her future husband, Dave, at Tottenham Hotspur, the local football ground near London, England. He was sitting several rows above her on the concrete steps that were the stands. She thought to herself, "COR! His a talk dark handsome guy!." When he descended the steps to where she was sitting, she was surprised at how wrong she had been - he was shorter than she. But, that didn't matter to the couple. It also didn't matter that when he asked for a ride home that she was on a vesper, or a moped - made for one person. Their son, Scott said, "She piggy-backed him home." And, as they say, the rest is history. The couple dated for five years, and just this March celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. But, even after all those years they were still on their honeymoon when he passed away on May 2 (Wednesday). Carol said, "50 years ago, the man of my dreams walked into my life . And on May 2nd, he broke my heart when he was taken so suddenly from me." Dave and Carol are the proud parents of Jayne and Scott. Gary, Jayne's husband, was like a son to Dave. Gary and Jayne have two children: Cameron and Jade. Cameron and his wife, Brenna, have a son named Kaiden. Jade has a son named Mason. Scott and Janie, his wife, have a daughter, London. Dave and his brother, Roy, were born to Bill and Lil Lowdell. Dave was born on Bridlington Road in Edmonton, England on April 17, 1945. Roy remembers taking Dave on a trainspotting trip to London. "Our friend and I got on the underground railroad (subway) and the electronic door closed and Dave (who was 10 or 12 at the time) was left standing on the platform alone. A lady saw what happened and through the window told us to get off at the next stop and wait. She put him on the next train and we met him. I've always said that's the time we almost lost Dave." But, Dave persevered and the brothers grew up enjoying a close relationship but they were very different when it came to career choices. Roy retired after 30 years at one job and then worked for 17 years at another. Carol said, "Roy worried about pensions and what he was going to do at 65. Dave always thought 65 was years away." According to the family, Dave had way too many jobs to remember. Jayne said, "He was always looking something else. He worked as a parrafin, milkman, window cleaner, London taxi driver, furniture salesman, carpet salesman and chef as the owner of two cafes." Once he thought he wanted to be a postman, Carol remembered, "In London, the postmen walk their route. He trained for a week, worked for two days and quit. His mother asked him why he had quit another job. He said that he quit because he was so short, the mailbags were dragging the ground and wearing them out ." Dave and Carol found their niche in Florida as the owners of Rosebud Enterprises, a property management company. Dave loved Haines City because that's where his family was his pride and joy. Dave had several constants in his life and one was his deep love for his family. His daughter, Jayne, said, "I grew up knowing I was the most beautiful girl in the world, and one day I would be Miss World!! Also the 1st British woman Prime Minister" I was a Daddy's girl. But, I idolized him just as much as he did me. He loved Scott and I the same and everyone knew how he felt about us. Whatever we wanted to do - right or wrong- he backed us 100%. If we failed, he'd say so what? Let's do something different." In 2004, Dave and Carol made the move across the ocean in order to be close to Jayne and Scott. Jayne and Gary had moved here in 2002 and Scott only months before their parents. Scott said, "He loved whatever I was doing at the time. When I played football, he was at every practice session every game. I got into golf and he followed me around the world. We'd meet at the airport and he'd swap suitcases with me. One time, he even fell asleep in his car watching me on the driving range." And, he enjoyed his naps. not only did he fall asleep that day at the golf course, he could often be found napping in front of the TV watching his beloved- Tampa Rays, and one time during a ski trip with Carol, he fell asleep watching the skiers. He and Carol loved to travel and had visited Spain, France, Germany, Austria, the Bahamas and, of course, America. Dave had come a long way from his humble beginnings as a child living in a English council house or, as it's called in the U.S., government housing, to building his dream home with his bride in the United States. The bright and cheerful home welcomes passersby on Old Polk City Road - the home, where the door was always open and he loved it when friends and family stopped by unexpectedly to say hello. Dave made friends easily wherever he went. His ready smile and easy going personality attracted others to him. "He made a point of speaking to people. We don't have a big family but we have friends that are like family People we met on vacation when Scott and I were kids." Dave was also known for telling stories and jokes over and over and over Jayne said, "He told the same awful stupid jokes and if you laughed at it, he'd tell another." Telling jokes and stories were Dave's way of getting others to smile - he only wanted everyone to have a good time and that included his own Mother, Lil. Kidding with his mother, David (as his mother always called him) jokingly told her that his brother, Roy, had gotten a job at the airport. Of course, their mother wanted to know what type job her son was doing there. David replied, He's working as a test pilot . Nearly giving Lil a heart attack but a good laugh when she realized David was only joking. Another time, David told his mother that Roy was working for a tree service. She, of course, wanted to know what type job her son was doing there. David replied, "They put Roy in the very, very top of the trees and make him lean way over to help the tree fall." Of course, Lil nearly had another heart attack before she realized Dave was only joking again. He also loved to "terrorize" (as Jayne calls his joking) his mother-in-law, Rene, who he idolized. Dave knew that Rene did not enjoy the game of cricket. But, during cricket season, Dave would call Rene every day to give her the results of the games. Jayne remembered, "The funeral home gave out stamps for discounts on burials on Tuesdays. Dad told Nany (Rene) to make sure she died on a Tuesday so it would be cheaper. And, she did." Janie, Scott' wife, remembered, "When the whole family went to their house, he would meet everyone at the door to tell us a story. He told every person that came in the same story. So, if you were the first person to get there, you'd hear the story about 10 times." He was a history buff and loved horseracing. Tomorrow, Dave would have been "Shady Dave" for the second year in a row at a friend's Kentucky Derby Party. "Shady Dave" was the friendly bookie for the race. Attending parties, dancing and laughing with friends and family were when Dave was happiest. And, of course, he was happiest with Carol, who for the past 20 years he hadn't spent a night away from. And, it was a good thing they were together because she wouldn't have been able to reach him. Dave might have been the only adult around who had never owned a cell phone. They spent their days working and caring for their granddaughter, London. They proudly took her -- his Junior Princess (Jade was his Senior Princess)- everywhere with them. Jayne said, "He and Mom were the same with us. If they couldn't take us where they were going - a party or whatever - they just didn't go." And, he didn't like to say goodbye, in fact, he refused to only saying "see you later" when departing from a friend or loved one. So, today, as we lay Dave Lowdell - devoted husband and loving father, grandfather, brother and friend to many, we won't say goodbye. We'll take his cue and say only "see you later, Dave."