RYE – Harry N. Lowell, 97, of Rye, New Hampshire, and formerly of Boxford and Topsfield, Mass., died Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in his home on Rye Harbor.

Harry was born April 26, 1929, in Newburyport, Massachusetts, as Harold Noyes Lowell, officially changing his first name to Harry in 1952. He was the son of the late William P. and Gertrude A. (Franklin) Lowell, Jr.

Harry attended Newburyport High School, graduated from Governor Dummer Academy, and later from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he majored in Naval Architecture, Business, and Engineering, ultimately earning a B.S. degree. Shortly after graduating from college, Harry married Joan Barr of Amesbury, Massachusetts, on July 19, 1952.

Surviving is his daughter Melinda Birse and her husband, Matthew of Kittery, Maine; two sons, Jonathan Lowell and his wife, Monica, of West Boylston, Mass., and Bradford Lowell and his wife, Cheryl, of Southborough, Mass.; and six grandchildren, Darilynn and Ryan of the Kittery Birse family, Jeremy and Christopher of the West Boylston Lowell’s, and Jeffrey and Casey of the Southborough Lowell’s; and seven great grandchildren, Ada, Maëlle and Dahlia, Emma and Annabelle, and Henry and Charles.

Preceding Harry in death was his wife, Joan, and their son, Thompson Lowell. 

After graduating from MIT, Harry served in the Navy and Navy Reserve, rising to the rank of Lieutenant, and was honorably discharged in 1967. For his life-long career, he combined his scientific, engineering and business training obtained at MIT to work in sales/marketing, first for Bethlehem Steel in Penn., then for Dewey Almy Chemical Co. in Cambridge, Mass., and then for most of his career in the aerospace industry along the Route 128 Hi-Tech Corridor, first for the Adcole Corporation in Waltham and later for the Itek Corporation in Needham Heights). Harry had many hobbies throughout his life; most notably, he was an avid sailor – winning races as a teenager in his Indian Class 21’ sailboat, Geronimo, based out of Newburyport, Mass. Later, he did extensive sailing and powerboating out of Rye Harbor, NH. Nautical activities were a big part of his life. He also enjoyed woodworking, which he put to good use by personally constructing a large part of his first home in Boxford. Harry was also very active in church activities, initially with the First Congregational Church in Boxford, and later for many years with the First Congregational Church of Kittery Point, where he served as Vice Chair of the Church Council and was a very active and beloved member of the choir – an activity that gave him the greatest of pleasures. In addition, Harry very much enjoyed family ski trips, his many visits to the White Mountains and Lake Winnipesaukee with his wife, Joan, and all the time spent with his loving extended family, which spanned 4 generations. He also enjoyed crime thriller novels, going out for brunch or lobster rolls, flowers in his home, and lemon desserts. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

SERVICES: A funeral service for Harry will be held on Tuesday, July 14, starting at 10:00 am at First Congregational Church of Kittery Point, 23 Pepperrell Road, Kittery Point, Maine, with the Rev. Patty Fox presiding. 

Harry truly loved the congregation at First Congregational Church in Kittery, so in lieu of flowers, please make donations to the First Congregational Church of Kittery, 23 Pepperrell Rd, Kittery Pt, ME 03905. All donations will be used to support the ministry of this church.