THEODORE J. Lowi

I know I’m the last speaker, so I promise to be brief.

 

Dad almost died when he was nineteen. He spent a year in bed, before television, the internet and Netflix… All he could do was read. And it was from that bed that he learned how to live.

 

He used to say that once he got better, he emerged with a kind of euphoria, a drive, a sense of joy that never left him. From then on, he woke up every day with a purpose.  He had a lust for literature, music, film, science, art, travel, food, football, politics and ice cream. And the list goes on. 

 

Growing up he taught Anna and me to appreciate how much of the world there was out there to discover. It was invigorating, and sometimes, it was - exhausting. When we were in school, Anna and I used to joke, “ask dad a question, get a lecture.”  Many of you paid for the privilege. We got them for free. It was a teenage nightmare.

 

Despite my best efforts, I learned a few things. And again, in the interest of time I made a top ten list:

10. Don’t get it right get it written.

9. Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.

8. Tardiness is a sign of hostility.

7. Don’t just do something, stand there.

6. Read for what you’re looking for.

5. You don’t have to give your opinion, but you do need to have one.

4. Quit when it tastes the best.

3. Share your ideas and others will follow.

2. Three parties are better than two.

1. Living well is the best revenge.

 

He was impatient, provocative, persistent, outrageous, inventive and courageous in his work and in his life. He reveled in the success of others. He made the world a better place. And he was a great dad. 

 

He got the best revenge. He lived well.

 

Jason Lowi

Lowi Family

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