William L. Lower

On Monday, April 26th 2021, William L. Lower (Bill), a loving husband and father of four children, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by loved ones at the age of 89. Bill passed into eternity just two weeks shy of his 90th birthday. He is survived by his wife of 55 years Patrica (Welch) Lower, his children William H. Lower (Christina), Laura E Lower (Ronald), Josh Lower (Kristi), and Jeff Lower; grandchildren Vanessa (Mike) Maley, William H. Lower II (Kathleen), Mariah Lower, Alexa Miller, Ron William Lower, Katrina Lower, Hiro and Tomo Lower; great grandchildren Madeleine Lower, Maeve Lower, and Noah Maley. He is also survived by his brother Robert Lower Sr (Hattie), his Sister Barbara Lambert and several cousins, nieces and nephews and bonus step son Hector Peterson (Jen) and his loving dog, Maggie. William was predeceased by his father Henry Lower Sr. and mother Beatrice E Lower, brother Henry Lower Jr, and  sisters Marion Lower and Beatrice Lower and the family dog Ginger. William was born May 10th, 1931 at his family’s home on Floral Avenue. He was raised in Ithaca, NY on Floral Avenue (known by the locals as “The Rhine”) and called it home for his entire life. In keeping with his love for where he was born and where he lived his life, Bill passed away at his home only 100 feet away from the home in which he was born and raised. At the time of Bill’s birth, Floral Ave (The Rhine)  was considered the rough part of town,  what many considered at the time, the “wrong side of the tracks.” Throughout his life, he worked very hard to improve his neighborhood and make it something to be proud of.  Throughout Bill’s nearly 90 years of living he never lost perspective of who he was, or where he came from. Building a successful business for more than 70 years in real estate, Bill could have lived anywhere in Ithaca, or anywhere in the world. However, when he chose to build a new house several years ago for his wife, they chose a house that would fit his and Pat’s needs in their later years. Bill made the decision to raze the family home on Floral Avenue where they lived, and build a new home that would meet their needs for the remainder of their lives. Over the course of his life he took what was a muckland, and turned it into beautiful gardens, with exotic trees, shrubs and flowers. Bill really made Floral Avenue not only a more beautiful place, but he truly put the Floral in Floral Avenue. Floral Avenue was made famous by Bill’s Christmas light display in the 90’s/early 2000’s. People from all over would cause a slow-down to see the 400,000+ light display and grab a candy cane from Santa.  Besides improving his neighborhood, Bill looked out for and cared for the people whose roots were from The Rhine. Bill employed some people that were “unemployable” and it wasn’t a charity from him, but he expected and got work for the wages he paid, while being a means to give back to the people and neighborhood he loved.    While under the age 10, he contracted scarlet fever, which damaged one of his kidneys. He was required to stay home for a whole year. Graduating Ithaca High School in 1950, Bill was involved in a variety of business ventures. He was most known for his business endeavors in real estate. Because of his strong work ethic and tenacity to succeed, Bill was able to purchase his first  property at 19 years old, on Floral Avenue.  At the time, the banks were not willing to take a risk on Bill, and especially on a piece of property on Floral Ave, an area which was effectively redlined. Fortunately, a local business man named Elmer Hurst was willing to take a risk on Bill and lent him the money to buy his first property. The gains from the property and his other entrepreneurial ventures were used to provide the downpayment to purchase new properties, which local business men continued to finance over time, he did the same, giving back by lending money to many people who were not able to get financing through a bank. There were many people who purchased buildings, and homes that they would not have been able to purchase if it was not for Bill taking a risk with them. Bill became well known as one of several business men in the neighborhood known as Collegetown, near Cornell University. From the mid 1960’s up until the 2000’s, Bill not only renovated 50+ older buildings in Collegetown, but also built a new 6 story building on College Avenue, while bringing the local grocer, Greenstar Coop Market to the neighborhood. He constructed and improved many buildings throughout Ithaca, constantly trying to raise the bar. He shared his skill, and knowledge with many people. Over the course of his 70 years in business, Bill was a builder of many things. He helped build the original Dryden Race track and loved racing stock cars. Lower’s Sporting Goods Store was co-owed by him and his father Henry Lower, which was in business from the late 1940’s until the mid 1980”s on Floral Avenue. Worms were harvested and bait fish were raised to sell in the store and distribute throughout the northeast. Working with a Cornell Professor, they were able to increase the amount of fish produced and improve the longevity for transporting them greater distances. He and Pat would travel throughout the region selling and delivering bait fish to their customers.  He became a collector of coins and traveled the country looking for unique or rare coins. Many family vacations were centered around coin shows. He was a lifelong Member of the Florida Numismatic (Coin) Association, where Bill was known as one of the leading experts on United States proof like silver dollars. The family recalls many vacations were spent near the coin convention center in Florida. He bought and sold antiques. He became an expert on Ithaca Calendar clocks.  Bill served on the board of directors for the Divi-Divi corporation, which gave him the opportunity to see places and things that he could have only imagined. He was involved with the original development of the Ramada Hotel with Walter Wiggens. He and his oldest son, Billy, scoured the countryside looking for trees to be harvested to make furniture. Bill became an expert in trees, able to identify them by sight. His favorite tree was Black Cherry. He also served on a business development board for the Tompkins Trust Company and was a big supporter of the bank.  Bill developed many relationships near and far. The most important thing he co-developed was the relationship between him and Pat which started 65 years ago. They married on December 3rd, 1965 and have been inseparable ever since, with Bill not wanting to leave her side in the last few years.  Their relationship served as the foundation for many other things to grow and develop. Pat was lucky enough to share her whole life with this wonderful man. They were best friends and he was a husband, provider and the loving father to their 4 children, whom he loved so deeply. They made so many beautiful memories throughout their life together,  traveled and did everything they ever wanted and Pat will cherish the memories everyday of her life. In their later years, Bill and Pat bought a house in St. Cloud, Florida, where they enjoyed many winters driving around, riding bikes, going to karaoke nights, making friends with neighbors or throwing a party on their back patio. Bill had several orange trees that brought him great joy, and friends and family were always treated to fresh orange juice, his famous tomato sandwiches and boiled peanuts. His children and grandchildren have fond memories of vacations to visit Nana and Poppy in Florida. Bill was a loving and caring person who many times offered help to someone who showed the drive and motivation to work hard, and was the most fulfilled when he was mentoring others starting by sharing his knowledge and love of real estate. He had a special gift for bringing joy to all around him, especially those who needed extra guidance.  Bill was known for his generosity and integrity, those that knew him saying his word was “as good as gold.”He was a hard worker, still checking on his rental properties and riding his tractor even after his physical health went downhill. He was very generous, always helping those in need and never expecting anything in return. He never drank alcohol or smoked and was very opposed to it. He was very smart and good with numbers, never needing a calculator. Bill loved food, (never turning down a sweet and usually eating dessert first), music (he learned to play the piano at a young age), and landscaping. Later in life he became a NY Yankees fan and never missed a game on TV. Bill was a big supporter of local small businesses, and was well known by many of the long time vendors at the local Farmer’s Market where he took family and friends. Bill’s family was his whole life, everything he did he did for his family. Most of his children lived on the same street as him or nearby and he cherished time spent with them and his grandchildren, jokingly saying every time they left “come again when you can’t stay so long.” He was constantly inviting people into his home and treating them like family. He invited people to his holiday gatherings, backyard parties and was always entertaining and asking friends to dinner. The weight of this loss will be felt by many.  The most important things Bill taught his family is to trust in God, to be a person of honor, character and integrity, and to always live up to your word.   We only pray now that the family can figure out how to live without him. RIP Bill we will love you forever, your wife Patricia and family.   The family would like to express their gratitude to Doctor Wattoo, for his love and care for Bill over the past several years.   Due to Covid Restrictions a private Memorial service will be held on Wednesday, May 5th. There will be a live stream available of the Memorial Service at www.whcchurch.com and click on “Sunday Service” on the web site's main page. Live stream will also be available via Facebook. In lieu of flowers, please send cards or donations to the West Hill Community Church 3049 Vandorn Corners Road. Ithaca, NY 14850. All are invited to express their words of comfort in Bill’s Book of Memories at www.bangsfuneralhome.com