Patricia Joan Lowis

Patricia Joan Lowis 

March 26, 1938 – October 5, 2026

Patricia was preceded in death by her loving husband of 52 years Bernard F. Lowis Sr.; parents LeRoy and Mary McWilliams; siblings Roger, Jean and Mick; son-in-law Tom Gavin.

She is survived by sons Bernard Jr. (Erin) Lowis, Tony (Shelly) Lowis, Michael (Holly) Lowis; daughters Mary (Dave) Grice, Carol Gavin; sisters-in-law Jeanne McWilliams and Donna McWilliams; Grandchildren Hope Lowis, Liya Lowis, Ryan (Kelsey) Grice, Nathan (Virginia) Grice), Emily (Stephen) Schmidt, Abigail Grice, Joshua Grice, Caleb (Chloe) Grice, Samuel (Sadie) Grice), TJ Gavin, Ben (Anna) Gavin, Brieanna Gavin, Grace Gavin, Taylor (Josh) Hoenshell, Brook Lowis, Gabriel (Matt) Wagg, Savannah (Scott) Lowis, Michael (Megan) McPherson, Jaron (Allison) Van Maanen, and many great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews, family and friends.

 Memorial donations may be directed to Roger "Tony" Lowis. 

Patricia Joan McWilliams was born on March 26, 1938, the daughter of LeRoy Neel and Mary Theo McWilliams. Throughout her life, she was known mostly as Pat, Mom, or Gram. Born in Omaha, she grew up around 19th and Pinkney, and later 56th and Spaulding. She attended Sacred Heart Catholic School, where she famously never missed a single day—except for the one day her mother made her stay home.

 Born at the height of the Great Depression, Pat grew up hearing stories of adults having to feed babies with eye droppers, eating peeled potatoes in boiling water, and playing endless games of cards to pass the time.When Pat was around four years old, her mother was diagnosed with tuberculosis and spent a total of five years in the hospital. Her dad had to raise four young children by himself, relying on the crucial help of a few dedicated relatives.

When Pat graduated from high school, she immediately got a job and, within months, saved enough money to buy her first car. Her father attempted to teach her to drive, but as the family story goes, after only a few minutes, he made her stop the car, got out, and refused to be a passenger any longer. It was a portent of things to come. Mom's driving prowess is famous, or rather, infamous...

Next came the 1950s—cuffed bobby socks, saddle shoes, and Johnnie Ray. But it wasn’t long before 19-year-old Pat met Bernard "Bernie" F. Lowis Sr. They met on a blind date at a Halloween party while Bernie Sr. was in town on leave from the Navy. Within a month they were engaged, and they married the following June in 1959. In 1960, they bought a house at 7638 S. 41st Street for $10,000. There, they welcomed Bernie Franklin Jr. (1960), Mary Katherine (1962), Carol Lynn (1963), Roger Anthony "Tony" (1965), and Michael John (1967). Because their oldest and youngest, Bernie Jr. and Mike, both had red hair and freckles, Mom famously said, “We realized we were repeating ourselves, so we stopped having children!” While that may be true, it is also true that she had five Cesarean births in seven years during the 1960s—which was probably a record at the time.

What followed was a whirlwind of diapers, strollers, babysitters, baseball games, football games, and family trips to Michigan in their green 1972 Ford Galaxie 500 station wagon. There were no seatbelts, and it had that back row seat that faced completely backward.Summers and falls were soundtracked by Nebraska Husker games on the radio with Lyell Bremser, and music on the record player by The Carpenters, Johnny Mathis, Eddy Arnold, and John Denver. At one time, Pat ran the only "unofficial" John Denver fan club in Omaha (having been banned from starting an official one). To this day, all of her children can still sing many of his songs word for word.

Pat stayed home until all the kids were in school, when she started working at various Omaha schools, mostly in administrative and data entry positions. When she decided to retire, her colleagues begged her to stay because she was so excellent at what she did. But as she loved to tell it: “I found out I could make $100 more per month retired, so I was out the door as soon as I could!”

Pat and Bernie enjoyed their retirement years traveling to South Texas in their various camper trailers to winter with the "Winter Texans." They made many wonderful friends there and remained in close touch with them over the years.

Pat never went to college or studied distant cultures to “expand her mind.” However, she deeply loved all things Ireland and was blessed to travel there three times. She loved to read, especially Mary Higgins Clark mysteries. She didn’t achieve high status or elite education, but what she did achieve was far greater: she lived a selfless, sacrificial life. Family, friends, and relationships were everything. She was at every Little League game and every school program. The Lowis house in the early 1970s was the ultimate neighborhood gathering place. On warm summer nights, Mom would turn on an 8mm projector and show Bride of Frankenstein through the front screen door onto a makeshift screen, while all the neighborhood kids gathered on the porch to watch.

Even at 80 years old—much to the chagrin of her adult children—she would routinely drive 60 miles from Griswold, Iowa, where she lived a good part of her retirement, to visit a friend in a nursing home. If she heard someone was in the hospital, she visited them simply because "that is what you do" (whether they wanted visitors or not). She lived the Golden Rule every single day: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. She was a follower of Christ in both heart and action.

Her life challenged us, and it still does. In her final days, her hearing and eyesight waned, and her thoughts grew increasingly foggy, but she remained upbeat and encouraging to the very end.

Pat is now at peace, reunited with her beloved Bernie and walking in the sight of the Christ she served so faithfully. Her family will forever carry the songs she taught them, the humor she gifted them, and the blueprint of a life beautifully and selflessly lived