Lowell Naeve
May 8, 1917 ~ August 21 , 2014
Lowell Naeve peacefully passed away at the Crest View Care Village on August 21, 2014 in Creston BC at the age of 97 years.
Lowell was born on May 8, 1917 in Sioux City Iowa, USA to Meta and Albert Naeve.
He was raised in the grain fields and countryside of Iowa. In his early years he was an athlete and was a very accomplished track and field high jumper.
After high school he hitchhiked across the United States exploring the expansive country and then attended Art Schools in both Los Angeles and Mexico City and worked as an art model while pursuing his education.
He was an artist all of his life and worked in the mediums of oil paintings, drawings, wood-block prints, pottery, metal sculpture, as a book illustrator, an independent film maker and published two books (a Field of Broken Stones and the Phantasies of a Prisoner).
He is best known for his black and white drawings, where he achieved numerous awards and was acknowledged by the British Royal family.
Throughout his life he was a political activist and was active in both the civil rights and peace movements in the United States. He lived, acted and believed in a just society for all.
In Greenwich Village (New York City) he met Virginia, his lifelong partner.
Together they built a life in Florida, and Vermont (USA). They taught art at the Woodstock Country Private School in Vermont where Lowell and Virginia mentored many students.
In 1965 the family immigrated to Canada with their 3 children and bought a 140 acre farm in North Hatley, Quebec where they were farmers, created a summer camp for children, an art gallery and an apple pressing business.
In his 65th year, he moved to Creston British Columbia, where he continued to write, create his pen drawings, and ran a dog kennel business.
Lowell is survived by his wife Virginia of 68 years, his daughter Serena Naeve of Creston, his sons Gavin Naeve (Barb) of Palmetto, Florida, and Brandon Naeve (Susan) of Nokomis, Florida, his grandchildren Deirdre Baker (Dave) of Vermont, Shawn Baker (Kate) of New York State, Jesse Beye (Candace) of Englewood, Florida, Jasmine Beye Rudderham (Jason) of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Hunter Naeve of Nokomis, Florida and his great-grandchild Lucas Rawson of Vermont. He is predeceased by his daughter, Adrienne Flagg of Vermont.
Lowell will be remembered by his wife Virginia, children, grandchildren and great-grand children for his legacy of trees that he planted throughout his life, his ethics, his social justice activism, his love of animals, his legacy of art and for his caring. He will be sorely missed by his family.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Sunday January 25, 2015 at the West Creston Community Hall at 3p.m.
A community potluck will follow the service.