Marilyn Merz Lowe - Obituary

arilyn Merz Lowe, Lieutenant Colonel, USA (Retired) of Annapolis, MD died peacefully in the early morning hours of February 15, with her children at her side. Lt. Col. Lowe served 22 years in the Army Nurse Corps. Early posts included work at Madigan Army Medical Center in Takoma, WA, and the 106th General Hospital in Yokohama, Japan during the Vietnam War. From 1975-80 she was Head Nurse of Thoracic Surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. She later became Deputy Chief Nurse of the Army European Command. After her retirement in 1987 she was a consultant for the Uniformed Services University, and was considered integral to the establishment of the USU Graduate School of Nursing and to greatly expanding continuing education for the Army Nurse Corps. After her career in nursing, Marilyn spent years as a homemaker and as a volunteer at schools and at Holy Family Catholic Church in Davidsonville, MD. In 2000, she joined the administrative staff at Key School, where her children were students. In her ten years there, hundreds of children and their parents came to know and love “Mama Lowe” as the warm, generous, and wise heart of the Upper School office. Marilyn celebrated her 45th wedding anniversary with her husband, John Lowe, Colonel, USA (Retired) on January 29th, surrounded by children and grandchildren. She helped raise four beloved stepchildren for 13 years before welcoming kids of her own: a son, Matthew, and daughter, Krista. Born in Washington, Iowa, Marilyn was the fourth of five children of the late Lester and Lorraine Merz, who were farmers. The family installed plumbing in the home when she was 11 years old. She was elected homecoming queen of Washington High School in 1962, received her BSN from Marycrest College and later earned a Master’s Degree in Cardiovascular Nursing from the Catholic University of America. Friends are invited to celebrate Marilyn's life on Sunday, February 19 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8pm at the George P. Kalas Funeral Home, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Monday, February 20 at 9am at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 109 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, MD. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to https://www.hospicechesapeake.org/support-donate/online-donation-form or https://www.fisherhouse.org/ways-to-give/ or http://www.foundationforwomenscancer.org/ Condolences and tributes may be made by clicking the tab on this page.