Peter Michael Lowry

LOWRY, PETER MICHAEL (1941 ~ 2021). The following is an obituary for former District Judge Peter Michael Lowry. The obituary was published in the Austin American Statesman.

Peter Michael Lowry

Austin - Peter Michael Lowry died on January 31, 2021 in Austin, Texas. He was born October 21, 1941 in Iowa City, Iowa. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Frederick Charles Lowry and Ruth Millett Lowry, and his twin sister, Lynne Lowry Burke. He is survived by his beloved wife, Mary Markley Lowry; his daughters, Margaret Lowry and her husband Andy Bradshaw of Fort Worth; Mary Pauline Lowry and her husband George Dickinson of Boise; Anne Simmons and her husband Zak Stutman of Washington, D.C.; and his grandsons Charles Lowry Bradshaw, James Lowry Bradshaw, and Hunter Herschel Stutman.

Pete moved to Austin with his family in 1946 following his father's return from his Army Medical Corps assignment in Europe after the end of World War II. He and Lynne attended Austin public schools, graduating from McCallum High School in 1959. While still in high school he joined the Army Reserve, from which he was honorably discharged in 1967. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas in 1964, and in 1968 from the University of Texas Law School, where he was an associate editor of the Texas Law Review. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta social fraternity, Sigma Delta Chi honorary journalism fraternity, and Phi Delta Phi honorary legal fraternity. He was also a member of the Austin Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, and the American Bar Association, and he was a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.

Following graduation from law school, Pete served as a briefing attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas. He then practiced law for nine years with the Austin firm McGinnis, Lochridge and Kilgore. His law practice primarily involved litigation, appeals, and administrative law. In 1977 he was appointed by Governor Dolph Briscoe as judge of the newly created 261st District Court of Travis County. He was re-elected to five four-year terms, always without an opponent. Lowry was elected by his fellow judges as a Local Administrative Judge and served in that capacity for seven years. He was respected and well-liked by courthouse personnel and attorneys, as well as by other judges. He always received very high marks in bar polls in which attorneys grade judges on characteristics such as honesty, diligence, fairness, judicial temperament, and knowledge of the law.

After his retirement from the bench, Pete joined with Judge James R. Meyers and John Coates to practice dispute resolution in the firm of Meyers, Lowry and Coates. After the death of John Coates, the firm continued for several years as Meyers and Lowry. Pete was a true Renaissance man who enjoyed hunting and fishing, collecting old books and antique prints, and spending time at his Blanco County ranch. He was a good cook from an early age and especially enjoyed baking bread and making Christmas cookies with his girls, beginning when they were very young. He read broadly and usually had a stack of partially read and not-yet-read books close at hand.

Pete enjoyed warm relationships with his wife Mary and daughters Margaret, Mary Pauline, and Anne, who adored him. He was a good and genuine man whose life was well-lived.

A memorial service is being planned for a later date. If you wish to honor Pete, in lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to Hospice Austin or a charity of your choice.