Myrtle Lowater

Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Sister, Myrtle M. Lowater was called home to heaven on November 17, 2021, surrounded by her family.

She was born on October 16, 1930, in Lake Park, MN to Adolph and Esther Edstrom on their family farm.

Myrtle’s early heart for service translated from life on the homestead to her professional calling of being a nurse.  She started on her path as an emergency room nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Detroit Lakes, MN, eventually making her way to Chippewa Falls, WI.  It is here she became a nurse for Dr. Charles Kemper’s office and also St. Joseph’s hospital.  While she was serving the community as a nurse, she met the love of her life, Richard “Dick” Lowater whom she later married on March 1st, 1975.  When Dick and Myrt unified in marriage they blended their families to become a family of nine children along with many others who considered the Lowater’s to be their second home, Myrtle welcomed them all!

Family was the most important thing to Myrtle and to all those who knew and loved her, those memories she created are forever on our hearts.  She could be found with her children and grandchildren out on the boat on Lake Wissota or on the Chippewa Flowage in Winter, WI chasing that elusive Musky or watching us waterski.  When she wasn’t outside or in her beloved gardens -just head to her kitchen or pantry and there she’d be.  Her daughters and granddaughters usually watching on as she cooked and canned enough food to feed a small army.  It is here she imparted her worldly wisdom and her biblical truths...and if that didn’t work, she wielded fast discipline with her never ending supply of wooden spoons. Myrtle’s wonderful weekend brunches before hockey games, her constant flow of homemade desserts, or her home cooked warm afternoon meals on a cold winter day were always from scratch with never a recipe in sight.

Her absolute favorite time of year was always the Christmas season, celebrating our Savior's birth with her massive Christmas Day spread. She would start the festivities with the glorious meal that she wove her Swedish heritage through.  The heaping piles of lefse and Swedish meatballs to the plates of smelly lutefisk she mandated “just try it”, she brought so much joy to the holidays, oh and let us not forget the jellied “head cheese”!  Then she would bring the “littles” around her feet and she would read the nativity story before she would give them all “clear signal” to let the wrapping paper fly.

Myrtle and Dick traveled later in life to Ocala, FL and Florence, AZ where they met so many wonderful people that would go on to become friends that were family.  They would share the same light of Christ to all that knew them through, Dick’s baritone voice singing “Amazing Grace” in the church choirs to Myrtle’s outback adventures of hiking, hunting, and fishing and bringing everyone she could find with her.

Mom is survived by her sons, James Eliasen – Sequim, WA, Mark Olson - Chippewa Falls, WI, Richard Lowater Jr. (Kristi) - Eau Claire, WI, Peter Lowater (Kathy) – Cadott, WI; her daughters, Kari Blum (Rick) - Pepin, WI, Paula Haws (Tim) - Fort Myers, FL, Patty Leahy (Steve) - Montana, Carol Lowater – Hoage - Omaha, NE, and Julie Lowater- Eau Claire, WI.

Myrtle had many grandchildren who adored her and will always remember her for her kisses while she would sing out “I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around your neck”. She is survived by these grandchildren, Erik Eliasen (Valerie), Stacy Seim (Dedee), Stephanie Zais (Michael), Joshua Seim, Nicholaus Newball (Amy), Jakob Hartley (LaToya), Mark Olson Jr. (Laura), Michelle Olson, Tasha Casias, Tiffany Ehrlich (Matt), Zach Olson (Cristal), Sven Olson, Yzabelle Olson, Marky Olson, Tammy Hawkins (Don), Jeremiah Thornton (Cassie), Jarrod Thornton (Emilee), Jahnna Jonas (Joshua), Tonya Weibe (Chris), Jasmin Pietela, Elisha Crites, Theresa Haws, Ryan Crosby (Anne-liv), Ben Crosby (Lacey), and Ryan Blum (Grete).

Along with the many grandchildren, she loved all of her great grandchildren equally. As they grew up, they would remember being bounced on her knee and her singing in Swedish to them. As they got older, she would write them very loving letters to instruct them to follow the Lord.

Myrtle is also survived by her sisters, Irene Edstrom, Janice Weeden, Evelyn Hanson, Charlene Von Ruden, Marlene Riewer, Esther Koenig, Susan Carlson and her brother, Ronald Carlson.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard H. “Dick” Lowater; daughter, Linda Olson; grandson, Dayton “Joey” Thornton; granddaughter, Abigail Lowater; parents; brothers, Albert Edstom and Marlin Forsberg; and her sister Edith Gaard.

Though our blessed matriarch has physically departed this earth, our hearts are hopeful that we will see her again when we join our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, we too shall hear him say as we are sure he welcomed her, “Well done thy good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will now make you ruler over many things, enter thou into the joy of the Lord.” Matthew 25:23

Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, November 27 at Pederson-Volker Funeral Chapel, 44 E Columbia St., Chippewa Falls, WI.

The funeral service will begin at 11:00 a.m., Saturday at the funeral home with Pastors Terri Blomberg and Brian Cole officiating. Burial will immediately follow the service at Prairie View Cemetery in Lake Hallie.