Lasting Memories

Michael Jeffrey Lowy
April 2, 1944-March 24, 2025
Palo Alto, California
Submitted by Ruth Lowy

Michael Jeffrey Lowy, beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, friend, Scholar, teacher, and mentor was born to David and Sylvia Lowy [nee Kassof] in New York City and grew up in Sunnyside Queens. He attended Long Island City High School, was the center on their basketball team, a sport he loved and played until his sixties, a lifelong fan of the Warriors, 49ers, and SF Giants.

He passed unexpectedly from an aneurysm of the stomach aorta and severe blood loss, prior to his 81st birthday, and 59th wedding anniversary with Ruth, his beloved wife and life partner.

Michael’s career path began as an Anthropology major BA ‘64 at CCNY, MA ’65 in Legal Anthropology at Hunter College NY, PhD ‘71 in Legal Anthropology at University of California, Berkeley. His PhD field research was in Koforidua, Ghana (1968-1969) studying cross-cultural dispute resolution by observing cases in a western court setting and various traditional chief’s courts in the town (population 40,000) with myriad African tribal communities represented. His wife worked as his research assistant with local Ghanian research assistants. He was an Assistant Professor of Legal Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh (1971-1975) and earned a post-doctoral degree in the Law and Modernization Program at Yale Law School bringing together scholars of law and the social sciences from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe focusing on Law and Development. He then attended Stanford University Law School JD ’78. Michael promoted the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution methods for resolving disputes outside of court and establishing Moot Courts, a traditional method in many cultures to resolve conflicts where community members help disputing parties come to an agreement. His motivation was based on ideas and practices he saw work effectively in Ghana and other societies he studied.

Michael maintained a Family Law practice in Palo Alto for over 40 years and also successfully litigated several Civil Rights Habitability cases in Bay Area cities. He was an expert litigator representing trailer park community renters, was a Judge Pro-Tem in San Jose Family Law Court, continued teaching Social Science classes and Law classes, mediated and arbitrated landlord-tenant disputes for the City of San Jose. In the last decades, his practice focused on using the principles and techniques of Collaborative Law, of which he was an early practitioner. He found the collaborative approach versus litigation, more satisfactory and successful to meet the needs of his clients who were divorcing.

Before his passing, Michael completed writing the manuscript for his book: Divorce in California: An Ethnography of Law, which his wife Ruth is currently seeking an editor to get it published. The book’s distinguishing feature is Michael’s application of anthropological concepts and methods to understanding the complexities and nuances of law, the courts, and divorce. As an ethnography, the book reflects Michael’s experiences as a lawyer in the California system and sums up what he learned living a double professional life: a social scientist trying to understand and describe human behavior, motivation, and social processes; and a lawyer trying to provide the best representation for his clients. His hope was that this synergy of the two perspectives would lead to a more holistic and more general understanding of “the law” that applies beyond the specifics of the California context. Michael authored this book because he wanted to provide family law attorneys with ethnographic insights, as well as to help people in everyday life understand what is involved once they decide to divorce, who they will encounter and interact with in the legal system. He used his own [redacted] case material to allow the reader to gain insights into how a family law attorney goes about their work.

In 2000, Michael was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. With medication, his courage, and his strong will to live as normal a life as possible, he was incredibly successful and fortunate. In his last seven years, the disease noticeably affected his physicality but not his mentality. Therefore, he was able to keep working on his manuscript and live a very full life until the end.

Michael is survived by his wife of 59 years, Ruth Lowy [nee Abrams] who he met in New York City on a blind date in 1963, his daughter Lisa Lowy, son-in-law Marc Chiarini, his son Eric Lowy, daughter-in-law Mira Kim Lowy, four grandchildren: Davis and Lina Chiarini; Taylor and Dylan Lowy; sister Maralyn Fielding [nee Lowy], brother-in-law Stuart Fielding, sister-in-law Phyllis Nichols [nee Abrams], brother-in-law Marty Abrams and sister-in-law Barbara ‘Bif’ Habif, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Michael Lowy’s funeral service at Congregation Etz Chayim, Palo Alto and burial in Eternal Home Cemetery, Colma, CA, was officiated by longtime friend Rabbi Ari Cartun.