Lowell L. Wondrow

Sunday, August 11, 1940
Date of Death:
Friday, October 3, 2014
Age:
74 years old
Lowell L. Wondrow
The funeral for Lowell L. Wondrow will be at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, October 6, 2014 at Church of the Resurrection in Rochester, MN with the Rev. Kevin Connolly officiating. Burial will take place at Grandview Memorial Gardens in Rochester immediately after the service followed by a fellowship gathering at the church. Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, 2014 in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home, 1105 12th St. SE, Rochester, MN 55904 and one half hour prior to services at the church.
Lowell, of Rochester and North Fort Myers, Florida died Friday October 3, 2014 at his home surrounded by his family following a five month fight with brain metastases from lung cancer.
Lowell and his identical twin, Lyle, were born August 11, 1940 in the St. Charles, MN area to Alvin and Glennis (Peterson) Wondrow. He was a 1958 graduate of Rochester High School. Lowell and Lyle joined the United States Air Force and Lowell served his country for five years. Following his discharge, Lowell married Eleanor (Ellie) Passe on June 27, 1964 in Kellogg, MN. After a short career with Gopher Aviation, Lowell joined IBM in Rochester where he completed his first career as a Senior Purchasing Manager before retiring in 1995. Always the business man, Lowell’s second career entailed a partnership with Ellie in two Hair Salons they owned and operated. Finally, he was part-owner of Parkside Marina in Wabasha and launched a third career as General Manager of Parkside Marina. He retired a final time in 2008 when he and his partners sold the marina.
His love of water led Lowell and Ellie to spend weekends from May to October on their boat in Wabasha for most of their married lives. Warm sunshine mixed with bright gulf water drew Lowell and Ellie to Florida where they spent winters at their condo in North Fort Myers until he was diagnosed with brain tumors last spring.
Survivors who will so miss this great man include his wife, Ellie; daughter Jodi (Bruce) Grimm of Rochester, MN; son Todd (Connie) of Wabasha, MN; four grandchildren, Justin Grimm of Oakdale, MN and Joel, Kelli, and Ben Grimm of Rochester; his brother Merrill (Donna), sister Joyce Heim and sister-in-law Judy Wondrow Glynn, all of Rochester. He is preceded in death by his parents, his twin brother Lyle and older brother Duane.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be designated to either brain tumor research at Mayo Clinic (gifts may be mailed directly to Mayo Clinic, Department of Development, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905) or to the Church of the Resurrection Endowment Fund at 1600 11th Ave. SE, Rochester, MN 55904.
Macken Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com
Condolences
The family of Lowell L. Wondrow has received the following condolences.
Ellie and family,
We are so sorry to hear of Lowell's passing. Karen called Phyllis and me to let us know. Phyllis gets the Wabasha paper so we saw Lowell's obituary. It sounds like Lowell stayed busy and involved his whole life. We're sure you both enjoyed your time in Ft. Myers. The gulf waters are so beautiful there.
Our thoughts are with you, and our sympathy to all of you.
Jeannie and Dan
Ellie, I just received the news about your dear husband, Lowell. We are so sorry and we extend our deepest sympathy to you and your family. You will be in our prayers. Sincerely, Judy and Paul
Jodi and family ... so sorry to hear about the loss of your dad. Thinking of you during this diffucult time. Many condolences.
Ellie, so sorry to hear of your loss! Hoping that the comfort and support of your family and friends will carry you through this difficult time. Our hearts go out to you and your family.
Vince & Val
Dear Ellie, Jodi and Todd,
My heartfelt condolences and prayers to all of you at this most difficult time.
We enjoyed many trips to the boat in Wabasha and many Sundays at the farm as our kids grew up.
Lowell will be greatly missed by all.
My love and prayers,
Rocky
I'm so sad to hear the passing of Lowell. I really wish I would have checked my e-mail sooner. He was a great man and I enjoyed working for him and Ellie both. Lowell never called me T.J. just T and I was O.K. with that because it was his special thing. Blessings and prayers to the whole family that only great memories will guide you through all the pain in the future. We all have another angel watching over us all. Miss you big guy!
Teresa Butler (T.J.)
Dear Jodi,
We are so sorry for the loss of your Dad.
He carried you in his arms,
Cradled you in his heart.
He's now with the Protector, away from the pain and suffering....
In love and Light,
Sharon and Don
Jodi,
My heart felt condolences. May the good lord provide comfort to you and your family.
Angel
Sorry to here about Lowell's passing our sympathy goes out too you and your family.
Ellie,
Sorry to hear of your husband's death. Gloria and I will remember Lowell in our prayers. I have always enjoyed seeing your pictures on Facebook. You and Lowell always looked so happy together.
Gary
Ellie ~ so sorry to read your sad news. May you feel peace as you are surrounded with love and support by many thoughts and prayers offered up for you and your family. God bless ~ Joyce Hinze
We send our most sincere sympathies to you Ellie and your family. It is very sad to loose Lowell. He worked so hard and gave so much and just when he was poised to start another chapter, God called him home. We are sorry for the tough days endured by all. We pray that you receive God's "Peace That Passes All Understanding" in the days ahead. Our thoughts abide with you and our prayers continue. God Bless you. Till we meet again. Arlene & Leo McCarthy.
Ellie and Family. Sorry to hear the news regarding Lowell. I am also sad to say I can't make the Wake or Funeral because I just got home from a double heart bypass.
I just want to say I always enjoyed working with Lowell. I learned a lot from him. As you know we shared a office together for a while and we got along great. We made our work fun. He will be missed, he was one of the good guys.
Sincerely Dale
We were so sad to receive the news of Lowell's passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you as you go through this difficult time. You and Lowell were a real team Ellie and he will be so greatly missed by all of you.
Love and prayers to you and the family,
Joe and Sandy Martin
Ellie, Todd and Jodi, We send our sincere condolences on the passing of Lowell. Our thoughts, prayers, love and hugs go out to you all during this difficult time.
Such sad news, Ellie and family. We will always remember Lowell and the good times on the river. If we can help, let us know.
Ellie & Family,
It is with heavy hearts that we make this entry. Lowell will be missed by everyone he has ever met. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Please know that it there is anything you need we will be there for you.
We are so sorry to hear of Lowell's passing. We have memories of our trips to Parkside Marina and our times together in Florida. Lowell seemed in good spirits when we last saw him in Rochester. Ellie and family, you are in our thoughts and prayers.
So sorry for your loss !our thoughts and prayers are with you.
don and dodie etringer.
Lowell: So much to thank you for, for so many years. So many hours of memorable conversation during your lunch breaks and evenings at Slippery's. Thank you, so much, my friend. You are missed. God speed. Ellie, all my regards. Dave
Ellie, Jodi, Todd and Family,
I am saddened to hear of Lowell's passing. He was one of a kind! I know that your family has many wonderful memories to share and will always cherish them. He lived a lot of life and had many opportunities to enjoy living. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.,
Ellie, Todd, and Jodi,
Cindy and I were fortunate to see Lowell a couple months ago and we will always remember his laugh and smile. I will remember the great times with Lowell during my childhood at family gatherings and of course in true Wondrow fashion working on some project somewhere like cutting wood, working on a boat or fixing cars. Our prayers are with you as you go through these difficult times. We all will miss Lowell but will remember him forever.
Love,
Doug, Cindy, Zach, Megan, & Shannon
Ellie, Jodi and Todd,
So sorry for your loss! My thoughts are with you.
Karrie Johnson Espinoza
Ellie, Jodi, Todd and families..I was so sorry to hear about the loss of Lowell today!! He will be missed tremendously no doubt but I am glad he does not have to suffer anymore. I wish we could be down there with everyone but as it is we are way out of travel distance. I will keep you all in my prayers and we send our love and condolences to all of you!! God Bless You All!
With Love, Carol & Bob
So sorry to hear about Lowell's death today. We are glad we got to visit with him several times in the past few weeks and have some good laughs. He was always fun to be around and was a good sport when we would wake him and Ellie up late at night on their boat! Love to all the family!
John and Barb
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you during this very difficult time. We will always remember him with a big smile and hearty laugh.
Dave and Nelda
Ellie, Jodi, Todd and Family:
We are thinking of you all during this difficult time. May you find comfort in memories, stories and times shared through the years. Lowell was a very dear friend to all and we are so glad that he was part of our lives.
With our Sympathy,
The Harterts
My deepest sympathy, Jodi and family. It was a pleasure to meet your dad - what a soldier he was these past difficult months. May precious memories bring comfort, and may God surround you with His peace. Wanda