Couple gives 46 years to the vocation of marriage

SALT LAKE CITY — Roger and Mary Lowe have been married 46 years. They are members of Saint Catherine of Siena Parish and Newman Center, Salt Lake City.

They met in Des Moines, Iowa at a Drake University dance. Roger was attending Iowa State College and Mary was attending Drake and the two colleges sponsored a student dance. A few days later Roger’s friend fixed him up on a blind date in Des Moines.

"The minute I saw her I knew she was the girl I had met at the dance," said Roger. "I must not have made much of an impression because she did not remember me. We started dating, and two years later we were married."

Roger’s family was strong Methodists, and Mary’s family was Irish Catholic. Roger felt they could not be married unless they were the same religion. So his plan was to visit Mary’s priest, Father Ring, to find out what she believed so he could talk Mary out of it.

"But it did not work out that way," said Roger. "It backfired."

"I was unaware Roger was taking instructions and was hurt when he told me he had been received into the Catholic Church without me being present," said Mary. "But when it was explained to me, I understood the reasoning. The pastor had been a family friend for years. My father used to cut his hair. Fr. Ring did not want Roger’s faith dependent on our relationship.

Roger and Mary were married at Saint Pius Catholic Church in Des Moines, Iowa in March 1962.

"Right after we got married, we started a 30-day novena for Roger to find a job that would support us," said Mary. "We believe that because of the novena, Roger found the perfect job for him."

"I was employed by C. H. Robinson Company, who are fruit and vegetable distributors based out of Minneapolis, Minn.," said Roger. "We had offices throughout the country and one in Des Moines. We represented shippers from all over the United States. Even though the company still distributes fruits and vegetables, they now are one of the largest transportation brokers in the world.

At that time, there was a requirement for every male American to serve in the military either through the draft or in the reserves.

"I joined the reserves when I was 18 and had completed my active duty," said Roger. "But the Salt Lake City manager still had to fulfill his military obligation. So when he joined the reserves, I was transferred to Salt Lake City to fill in for him while he was away.

"We moved to Bountiful for what we thought would be a six month stay in November 1963," said Roger. "We were 23 years old, with our first son, who was 1-year-old at the time. The week we arrived the late President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. We had left all our belongings in Iowa because it was a temporary move, so we bought a small black and white television for $80 so we could be a part of those sad but historic days."

"We were happy to find a Catholic Church in Bountiful and when we needed a baby sitter, we went to then Father Robert Pollock, pastor of Saint Olaf, and he recommended someone he trusted," said Mary. "That is really how we first started our involvement with the Saint Olaf community."

"When our six months were up I was made manager of the Salt Lake Branch," said Roger. "Once we knew we would be here permanently we got more involved and the Saint Olaf community became our Utah family."

"Even though we are members of Saint Catherine, we still have a lot of connections with St. Olaf friends" said Mary. "I still meet every Tuesday with long time friends of more than 40 years for breakfast, and I’m in a women’s spirituality and support discussion group in Bountiful. We meet twice a month for discussion and prayer. As a couple, we tailgate, attend the theater, and a lot of other activities with the people from St. Olaf."

While the Lowes were at Saint Olaf, Roger sang in the choir for 35 years. They had four children, two girls and two boys and they all attended Saint Olaf School. Roger and Mary were involved with the Saint Olaf school board, served on parish council, were part of the cast of entertainment for Harold’s Night, a yearly fund raiser and also chaired the event. Their children all graduated from Judge Memorial Catholic High School.

"We have wonderful memories of our experiences with the Saint Olaf community," said both Mary and Roger.

"Our lives really did center around Saint Olaf School and Saint Olaf Parish," said Mary. "We, as a community, supported each other through good and bad times. That is really where we found our home."

"The hardest thing we ever faced was the death of our daughter 11 years ago," said Mary. "With God and the support of family and friends we were able to get through that very hard time.

"Sometime after the death of our daughter it became apparent that we needed to move from our family home," said Mary. "Our lives were more and more centered in Salt Lake City so we moved and began a new family of friends at the Newman Center.

"When the kids were in school, I started my studies at the University of Utah," said Mary. "It took years because I was still volunteering at Judge Memorial and Saint Olaf."

Mary has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Utah. She was working at the Newman Center doing counseling and spiritual direction, and they were involved at the University with season tickets to many events so the move to Salt Lake City seemed like a good idea.

"We are active members of Saint Catherine" said Mary. "We co-chaired the fund raising for the construction of the new church, but it was the community who came together to make it all happen. Personally and collectively, involvement in community is such a positive."

"The parish raised more than $3 million in pledges in nine months from a community whose main members are college students, University personnel, and others from the surrounding area," said Roger. "I totally credit the community. They did it, and it is amazing."

"Now we consider the two communities our extended families," said Roger. "Because of life experiences and prayer, I know that our spirituality has changed through the years. It has always been very important to us in our vocation of marriage. The discussion groups that we are in with people from Saint Olaf and the Newman Center are so helpful to us and the support of the parishioners makes such a difference in our lives. I don’t know what we would do without our parish friends. We are grateful for our many blessings."