Heidi McMullen Lowell

Heidi McMullen Lowell, 62, of Chatham, MA passed away on March 31, 2023. Loving mother to Nikita Shepherd (AJ) and Ginger Lovin (Logan), beloved daughter of Mac and Buffie McMullen, sister of Rob McMullen, Drew McMullen (Ivette), and Lisa McMullen (Carter Fahy), and doting aunt to Nicholas, Anna, Benjamin, and Eva.

Heidi was born at the Cape Cod Hospital on November 25, 1960. She grew up in and around her family’s business, the Chatham Bars Inn. It was there that she played, worked, and developed her lifelong love of dance while performing ballroom exhibitions for hotel guests during Saturday evening dances. She graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT and attended Salem College, in Winston-Salem, NC. She then studied and performed with the Albano School of Ballet and the School of The Hartford Ballet, where she became a certified ballet and dramatic arts instructor.

She married Jonathan Lowell in 1984 and moved to Portsmouth, NH, where she taught ballet and dance at the University of New Hampshire and other dance schools. She performed regularly with local dance companies, and she and her family especially loved Nutcracker season, when she would dance many roles, delighting her family with her performances. They had their first daughter, Nikita, in 1989.

Heidi and her family moved to the West Coast, and spent many years in Santa Monica, San Jose, Santa Cruz, and Prunedale, CA. She had her second daughter, Ginger, in 1994 in San Jose. Heidi was a loving mother and shared her joy for life and art with her children. She taught creative art classes at the Prunedale Elementary School and had a two-car garage dedicated to art and jewelry design. She was an exceptional jewelry designer who joyfully gifted her works to loved ones; the gifts often included a glitter explosion that exemplified Heidi’s spirit. She started working at the Prunedale Ace Hardware and was delighted by a whole new world of potential art materials. A woman of many skills, she learned everything about hardware quickly and her lively personality always made people around her laugh.

In 2011, Heidi moved back to Chatham to be closer to family. She worked at the Mermaid Shop and then the Harwich Ace Hardware (Harwich Paint & Decorating). When Ace Hardware opened a new location, Chatham Paint and Hardware (aka “Heidi’s Hardware”), Heidi was on the front lines helping to make it happen. As parents perused her shop, she loved entertaining their children, who listened wide-eyed to her invented stories and always left with a smile. She was known for her exuberant personality, signature spiky platinum blonde hair style, bright smile, and even brighter and sparkly wardrobe. She often wore a tiara – to no one’s surprise.

A private family remembrance to honor Heidi will be held at a later date. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations in her memory be sent to the Creative Arts Center (capecodcreativearts.org/donatetocac) in Chatham where Heidi spent many joyous hours working on her jewelry and other creations. The Creative Arts Center, 154 Crowell Road, Chatham, MA 02633, 508-945-3583.