Charles Adamson Low was born and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, at the tail end of the depression and the beginning of World War II.  He was the second of six children (Katherine, Bill, Nancy, Bobby, Jeffrey) in a house which inevitably was somewhat chaotic.

He graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1961 and entered the Army as First Lieutenant to the Lord Strathcona Horse Tank Regiment in Calgary.  He saw service when seconded for 15 months as part of the reconnaissance squadron to the United Nations Emergency Force in Gaza, acting as a peacekeeper patrolling the Egypt/Israel border.

He was most fortunate to meet the love of his life, best friend, wife and partner of 58 years, Ellen Hagerman.  They were married in 1967 and thus began some adventurous years.  Together they moved to New York City, had a quick stopover in Buffalo before returning to Toronto in 1970 when their first son Carey was born, followed by Jeffrey in 1974.

In the mid 1960's Charles began his career in the pharmaceutical business, starting in sales and then marketing for Vicks VapoRub & Colds products.  In 1979 Charles began work for SmithKline Consumer Products and in 1980 moved to their head office in Philadelphia as the Director of International Marketing.  The role involved travel to Japan and the Caribbean, but more importantly, Charles and Ellen made some very meaningful and long-lasting friendships.  In 1985 Charles accepted a role back in Canada which landed the family in Oakville where they have remained since, and where they have made many long lasting and deeply connected friendships.  The last chapter of Charles's career was as the President of the Canadian Cosmetics, Toiletries and Fragrances Association, (CCTFA), where he helped to establish the "Look Good Feel Better" program which sent volunteers into hospitals to help lift the spirits of people fighting cancer treatment.

Charles loved time spent with family in St. Thomas and Port Bruce, at the Hagerman family farm in the Bay of Quinte and at the cottage on Six Mile Lake.  He loved tennis and platform tennis and had a filthy backhand with enough slice to remove all the fuzz in one shot.  He learned to love golf and was a fixture at the Mississaugua Golf club for many years.  Towards the end of his life, he fell for curling.  As his disease progressed, one of his few regrets was not taking the sport up sooner.  As he was quick to point out, he loved his sports, but mostly because they led to a rich social life.

Charles loved life and the richness of all aspects.  Right to the end, he was engaged in human achievement, science, politics, history, technology and even a bit of philosophy.

Charles will be profoundly missed by his wife, Ellen, as well as his two children and their families.  (Carey, Katie, Frances, Charlie and Jeff, Bo and Beckett).

There will be a celebration of life at the Oakville Club in late April or early May (exact date TBD) and friends are invited to join the family to raise a glass to Charles's life well lived.

Any donations in memory can be made to the Oakville Trafalgar Hospital or Food Share of Oakville.