Bunnythorpe stalwart Peter Lowe has hung up his firefighter's helmet, tinkered with his last car, and completed his final motorcycle ride.
Peter Donald Lowe, 58, who had had heart troubles in the past few years, died after collapsing in his home on November 29.
Farewelled by a full-to-overflowing congregation at St Albans Church yesterday, Lowe's passions were clear: his involvement with the Bunnythorpe Fire Brigade, motorcycles, his work at the family garage in Bunnythorpe, and his family.
A respected member of the Bunnythorpe brigade for 42 years, he was saluted by his firefighting colleagues from brigades throughout the region, who lined the way as his coffin was carried in and out of the church to the strains of music from his beloved Pink Floyd.
Mitchell Brown, Fire Service Manawatū area commander, officiated at the service.
A firefighter to the end, Lowe collapsed and died after returning home from a Bunnythorpe Fire Brigade recruiting drive day. He had been enthusiastic about three new recruits who put their hands up to join the brigade, his wife, Dianne Lowe, said.
He had told his colleagues at the station that the new recruits might mean that he could "step back a bit".
He was still wearing his firefighter undress uniform when he collapsed.
"This is what he would have wanted, this is the way he would have wanted to go," Dianne Lowe said.
He'd been planning for his 60th birthday for some time, and had already amassed 12 bottles of homemade rum in preparation for a big celebration.
He'd loved a drink, a laugh, and was famous for his ability to yarn.
He was a "great leader", always kept a level head, and was always one to take charge.
"No one in this world is perfect, but in my eyes, he came pretty close", she said. "Last Saturday was not supposed to happen for at least 10-15 years; I had dreams of retiring with him, it just proves how fragile life is. Please just show your love for your partner, and this matters more than words, as we have proved."
Lowe's two children, Ian and Neil, also members of the fire brigade, remembered motorcycle rides with their dad, the spills, the father-son competitions, and the good times.
His sister, Pauline Rowe, sang a tribute to her brother, accompanied by their father, Don Lowe, on the euphonium, and Pauline's husband, Alan, on the piano.
After being escorted by a procession of fire engines out to Bunnythorpe, Lowe took a final ride on a custom-built 7ft (2.1metre) tall motorcycle and sidecar.
Source: Manawatū Standard
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