Bill Lowman, 1938
Original Photo
The original photo used as reference for the mural was photographed by an unknown photographer in 1938.
William Perry Lowman was born August 8, 1915 in Anacortes, Washington. He was one of five children born to Jean Faith Perry and Raymond Lowman.
As a young boy he helped on the family fish traps at Henry Island and Burrows Bay and on the cannery tenders for his grandfather, William Alvin Lowman. Bill was active in sports throughout school and as an adult. He even played a key role in establishing and maintaining the Anacortes Boxing Club.
After WWII, he went back into the fishing world and bought an old WWII navy minesweeper that he converted for use in the tuna industry and then later carried cannery supplies to Alaskan ports and brought back canned salmon to Seattle. The boat was named Vindicator and after a decade of use went aground in Alaskan waters. He later bought a little gillnetter named Try Again and then later upgraded to a larger gillnetter named Zig Zag. He owned the last boat for over 40 years before he donated it to the Anacortes Museum in 1999.
In 1951, Bill bought a baby gorilla named Bobo that became a part of the Lowan family. His mother Jean took care of the baby from infancy until he was taken to the Woodland Park Zoo at 2.5 years old.
Bill married Katherine Grace Verhoeff on March 9, 1940. They had two daughters: Susan Teresa Lowman and Claudia Annette Lowman. He later married Peggie Allen.
Bill passed away on April 26, 2000 and is interred at Grand View Cemetery in Anacortes, Washington.
