Richard Carver Lowery ’63

Richard Carver Lowery ’63, 69, of Arlington, Va., died on Oct. 20 at Virginia Hospital Center due to complications of lung cancer. He was surrounded at the end by members of his family and close friends. Lowery was born in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 23, 1941, the son of the late Dave and Lucile Lowery. He graduated in 1964 from Davidson and in 1967 from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a member of the managing board of the Virginia Law Review. He was a partner in the Washington office of Kirkland & Ellis and later was a founding partner of the firm Wiley Rein, LLC. He retired from the practice of law in 2000. An avid sportsman, both a participant and a fan, Lowery, in 1967, was the moving spirit behind founding a weekend touch football game that has lasted to this day and in which he participated until he was 50. The Washington Post credited him with the origination of the game in its story “Weekend Warriors Run the Long Route,” on Nov. 28, 2009. Lowery was a person of great capacity for friendship, and he is mourned by many friends from all phases of his life. He was famous for decorating his house for holidays and for his unique celebrations, especially of Christmas. He was an active philanthropist and an especially strong believer in excellence in higher education. He supported in particular, both financially and with his time and efforts, Davidson, the University of Virginia School of Law, and Springfield College, of which his late wife was an alumna. Lowery was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Gail. He is survived by his two sons, Kirk Lowery (Elizabeth) and Clay Lowery (fiancée, Sheila Herrling), 3901 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203; his brother, Jack Lowery (Dorothy); four grandchildren, Bennett, Caroline, Hayden, and Dylan; and several nieces and nephews.