Exeter's Oldest Living Resident Dies

Ottie E. Lowther, Exeter's oldest living resident, died last week. He was 103 years old.

Lowther was born in 1909 in East Leicester, Nova Scotia. He lived in Exeter for 68 years, according to his obituary.

Lowther worked on submarines during World War II and then went on to run a car dealership in Exeter.

He was predeceased by his wife, Mildred.

A memorial service will be held for Lowther today at Exeter's Brewitt Funeral Home, located at 14 Pine St.

Below is his obituary from the funeral home:

Ottie E. Lowther of Exeter, departed this life on Thursday, September 13th 2012, at the age of 103. He was born July 10, 1909 in East Leicester, Nova Scotia. He lived in Exeter, NH for 68 years and resided at Earnest P. Barker Assisted Living Facility in Brentwood, NH for the past 2 years.
He was presented with the Boston Post Cane as the oldest living resident of Exeter in August 2010.

Ottie worked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard during WWII as a machinist, building and repairing submarines. He would often relate stories about the Seacoast during that period. He was an automobile mechanic and co-owned the Mar-Low Dealership on Epping Road in Exeter. He worked at other locations over the years as an automotive mechanic; including Foss Motors of Exeter, Hacketts of Hampton, and later at Callahan Oil of Hampton where he maintained their fleet of trucks until his retirement. He was known by friends and family as Mr. Fix-it.

He was an inventor of sorts. He worked at Eno's Brick yard where he built a train and tracks to transport bricks and supplies throughout the brick yard that helped speed up production. Many of these bricks were used in the buildings at UMass – Amherst, Brandeis University, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Museum of Science in Boston, and many of the older buildings at Phillips Exeter Academy, to name a few.

Ottie had many careers and interests: He enjoyed reading, hunting and snowmobiling in Jackson N.H., fishing on the Swift River, camping, skiing, and traveling the U.S., including Alaska in his motor home with Millie and friends.

Ottie was predeceased by his wife, Mildred (Tilton) Lowther; two sisters, Ora Bitmoski and Elda Lowther; two brothers, Robert E. Lowther and Alvin Lowther. He is survived by four children: Muriel & Willard Bodwell of Seminole FL, Robert E. Lowther and Patricia Lowther of Exeter NH, Margaret & Wade Harrell of Virginia, and Mary Palmer of Exeter NH; Seven grandchildren: Stephen & Mary Bodwell, Holly Doone, Leigh & Scott Burley, Eric Lowther & Janice Page, Sue Lowther, John & Katie Dudley, and Melissa Palmer; nephew Theodore Bitmoski and neice Ghayle Ibbitson. He also had seven great grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends.

Visitation will be Tuesday, September 18th, 2012 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a service immediately following at Brewitt Funeral Home, 14 Pine Street Exeter, NH. A private burial service will be Wednesday at Hillside Cemetery, East Kingston, NH.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial donations may be made to Ernest P. Barker Assisted Living Recreation Fund, 117 North Rd., Brentwood, NH 03833.
To sign an online guestbook, please visit www.brewittfuneralhome.com.