Seymour "Sy" Lowy

(Asbury Park Press)

SEYMOUR "SY" LOWY
AGE: 88 FORMERLY OF LOCUST
Seymour "Sy" Lowy, who owned Red Bank Music in New Jersey for more than 35 years, died on Tuesday, March 30, 2010. Mr. Lowy was born Oct. 16, 1921 in Brooklyn, N.Y., but moved with his parents to Newark and later Freehold, N.J. He was a graduate of Freehold High School. Sy earned his BA at the University of Miami in Miami, Fla. paying for his tuition by playing in bands on the accordion and a driving cab. Sy served in the U.S. Army Air Corp as a buck sergeant trained in meteorology during World War II. He completed his tour of duty at Fort Monmouth, N.J. He married Carolyn Andrews in 1952 and they settled in Lincroft. About that time they opened a small music store on Shrewsbury Avenue in Red Bank. He continued to play in bands in New York and New Jersey. He gave accordion lessons in the new business while his wife took charge of the bookkeeping. As rock music grew in popularity, the Lowys' business prospered. They expanded their store, employing more music teachers, opening a dance studio and band rental program. Later, a second store in Neptune, N.J. was opened. In the 1970s, the Lowys moved Red Bank Music to a larger location on English Plaza in Red Bank, expanding the businesses services and selection. It quickly grew to be the 10th largest music store on the East Coast. The couple sold the store and retired in the early 1980s. The Lowys were longtime members of Congregation B'nai Israel in Rumson, N.J. They resided in Locust from 1969 to 1992, when they moved to the Washington, D.C. area to be close to their daughter, Joan, and her family. The Lowys especially enjoyed their twice-weekly visits with their daughter Joan and grandsons, and family dinners at the Maryland home of their daughter, Suzanne. The Lowys moved again in 2006 to Lubbock, Texas, where Suzanne and her family now live. Mr. Lowy was an avid reader and a talented musician who later in life learned to play the piano and xylophone.
Mr. Lowy was the son of Abraham and Pauline Lowy, both the children of Russian immigrants. He is predeceased by his parents and his wife, Carolyn, who died last May. He is survived by his daughter, Joan, son-in-law Michael Christensen and their sons, Jack and Ross, of Vienna, Va.; his daughter, Suzanne, son-in-law Kevin Hopson and their son, Sam, of Lubbock, Texas, and sister, Elaine Kaplan, of Delray Beach, Fla.
A memorial is planned for this summer. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, 4370 Tujunga Ave., Suite 330, Studio City, CA 91604 or to the American Music Center, 30 West 26th Street, Suite 1001, New York, N.Y. 10010.