Joe was the consummate gentleman

I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my dear colleague Joseph (Joe) Lowe.

It seems like it was just yesterday that I saw him walking briskly on Liguanea Avenue, getting his daily exercise while going towards Saints Peter and Paul Church for the 7 a.m. Mass. No matter where I was sitting in the church, he would always make his way over to greet me during the ‘peace greeting’.

I met Mr Lowe more than three decades ago when I first joined the shipping community. He was then working in the shipping department at GraceKennedy Shipping. It was after he retired and was working at Maritime and Transport that our professional relationship developed, and so much so that we would speak at least once or twice a week about our business to Grand Cayman. I distinctly remember that he would always start our conversations in a very friendly and upbeat manner by saying, “Tell me something!” or “Can you help me?”

Joe was the consummate gentleman, a warm and generous soul, a stickler for perfection. He was a fount of knowledge about the shipping industry and how it developed in Jamaica. He could always be relied on to have read the minutes of the Shipping Association of Jamaica meetings ahead of every meeting. He was a very active member of the Caribbean Shipping Association, where he was well liked and respected by his Caribbean colleagues.

Joe was a family man and was very proud of his sons David and Raymond, and would always tell us of their progress with great fatherly pride. In recent years, golf became a passion for Joe. He was a natural, and applied himself with his usual passion for perfection.

I now realise, on his passing, that I had not seen Joe for a few months. I do hope that he knew how much he was loved and respected in the shipping community.

Rest in peace, Joe Lowe.

Corah Ann Robertson-Sylvest er

Vice-President of the Shipping Association of Jamaica and

Past President of the Caribbean Shipping Association