Remembering Jamie Lowe
Today December 19th, 2022 would have been Jamie Lowe’s 66th birthday. He was a great friend to the band Pentwater and Jamie was taken from us far too early.
I first met Jamie my Junior year at Niles North in Skokie, Illinois. When I first set eyes on him I just knew we’d be great friends. Something about his warm infectious smile and hearty laugh, and I knew he would be an important part of my life.
Not long after we met, Jamie helped out Pentwater as our sound mixer on many, many shows. Here he is at DePaul University at one of the band’s key gigs in those early days. While Jamie wasn’t destined to be a lifetime audio guy like me, music was a driving force throughout his life.
We all looked like sailing pirates in those days with our flowing manes of hair and counter culture ways, and Jamie was surely no exception. 
But Jamie wasn’t a guy to ever stay in one place for too long, and soon after high school he landed a cool job as a sailing yacht caretaker or “BN” as they were known in those days of the late 70’s and early 80s.
The cunning Columbia Chicago Yacht Club sailor Chester Kuttner hired Jamie to BN aboard his sleek and fast racing boat Kutty’s Ark. The tough but fair Chester taught Jamie all the nuances of yacht racing, with Jamie soaking it all in and soon becoming one of the most sought after sailing hands in Chicago. I went sailing on Kutty’s Ark a few times and Pentwater’s Tom Orsi and I each have nice brass sail hasps that Jamie gave us for our keys. We both still use these even today.
Jamie also brought me into the world of sailing in the summer of 1980 at Columbia Yacht Club. He found me a berth aboard the Tartan 10 Sarah Bass. As I think back on it today, without my dear pal, I realize that was one of the most magical summers of my life. Endless sunny days out on the water, the Chicago to Mackinac race, the Monday sailing cruises on Lake Michigan without our pesky boat owners. Each day filled with laughing and fun, with Jamie teaching me more and more about his passion for sailing.
Later, while Jamie’s professional life had him moving into a highly successful real estate career, he never stopped sailboat racing and he crewed aboard some of Chicago’s top racing yachts. Many of these boats won their sections on The Mac with his guidance . He raced in over 35 Chicago to Mackinac races which qualified him as an “Island Goat.”
Jamie also went on to give back to his community in Naperville, Illinois. He was centrally involved with many community groups and organizations including becoming a trustee for the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District.
His favorite band was definitely XTC.
Somehow, we lost Jamie in March of 2022 due to a blood clot after a surgery for a back injury. I can’t make sense of it now and I doubt I’ll ever be able to. He was always so strong and vital, brimming with life and possibilities. Just like the day I met him. 
And the thing is, I was the last one to see him. That day, he told me how much his family meant to him. He told me that he loved me, and I echoed that right back to him.
Jamie is survived by his wife Janet, treasured daughters Jacqui & Jillian, his brother Shaun, and his mom Joan.
He truly lived a blessed life. But to my soon to be 67 year old eyes, his life was way too short. But like I said previously, Jamie wasn’t a guy to ever stay in one place for too long..
Mike Konopka