Janet Katherine Lowden

Our beloved mother, Janet Katherine Lowden, departed this mortal coil for parts unknown on Saturday, December 29, 2012 at the Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Life Care Center. She was 74. Janet was born July 5, 1938, in Long Island, New York, to Raymond Joseph Langan and Helen Eleanor Thompson Langan (both deceased).

She was preceded in death by her husband, John Leroy Lowden, and by sisters Lorraine, Helen ("Preddy"), and Barbara.

Our beautiful mother: what can we say? To know her was to love her, and, sometimes, be infuriated by her. In the end, however, love always won. Though a resident of Wilmington for almost 24 years, she never quite lost her 'New York edge'. An avid reader (John Updike, the New Yorker magazine), natural aristocrat, enemy of bigots and the ignorant and lover of dogs and elephants, she could charm with her eloquence or startle with her sailor's vocabulary, depending on her mood and the worthiness of the person addressed. A registered nurse, she was very proud of her Associate's Degree (Pace University, NY). As something of an amateur anthropologist, our mother also had a slightly morbid and always amusing fascination with people who 'didn't have a clue', were the products of unfortunate couplings or were too unevolved to pick up their feet when they walked. She spent a lifetime 'kicking ass and taking names'. Most important, she loved her children dearly. In no small part we are who we are because she was who she was, and for that we thank her and will always cherish her memory.

Our mother was killed by her almost life-long addiction to tobacco. If you love someone who smokes, tell that person to cut it out, already. Nobody should have to go through what our mother -- or father -- went through.

She is survived by her daughter, Susan Lowden, sons Jonathan Lowden and Andrew Lowden, honorary 'daughter-in-law' Suki McCoy, son-in-law Daniel Carroll, granddaughter Maisie Lawler, grandson Sawyer Lawler, beloved brother Frank Langan, a coast-to-coast host of nieces and nephews and her Manchester Terriers, Lily and Ava. We already miss you, Mom.

Very special thanks to all of our mother's friends in the Providence neighborhood for their companionship and assistance, and to the staff of the Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Life Care Center for their compassion and concern, especially Judy, who helped us to make our mother's last hours on earth as comfortable as possible.

A Funeral Mass will take place at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church, 1011 Eastwood Rd., Wilmington, NC. A private entombment will follow at Oleander Memorial Gardens, 306 Bradley Dr., Wilmington, NC. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Life Care Center.