Barbara Stowe Tower, 87, passed away on Sunday, March 5, 2023 surrounded by loving family. She is survived by relatives including her three children Elizabeth Tower Powell (Robert), John Julius Tower (Juliette) and Alex Tower Sears (Jonathan); her eight grandchildren Isabel, Daisy and Georgia Sears, Olivia and John Tower Jr. and Victoria, William and Edward Powell; her sister, Joan Pittroff; nieces Cate and Lydia Tower and nephews Peter and Matthew Pittroff. Her beloved husband of 63 years, Frederick Julius Tower II, and her sister, Linda Stowe Eney, predeceased her.
A lifelong resident of Maryland and a resident of Annapolis since 1969, she was loved and admired by a wide circle of family, friends, neighbors and professional colleagues. Born in Baltimore in 1935, she was raised in the city where she met Fred, the love of her life, in 1951. During her teenage years, she protested segregation and marched with members of the Congress of Racial Equality in Baltimore.
Intelligent, hard-working and resourceful, she won a four-year Senatorial Scholarship to the college of her choice in Maryland. She attended St. John’s College and married Fred in 1956. A faithful Episcopalian, she completed Education for the Ministry at The University of the South’s School of Theology in 1991. In the mid-1990s, she spearheaded the expansion of St. Anne’s School of Annapolis to its current location and was Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees. She also served on the board at Key School in Hillsmere.
Barbara worked in the real estate business for more than 50 years. She co-founded Annapolis Properties in the Maryland Inn and was a talented broker who specialized in historic properties in downtown Annapolis. Clients appreciated her expertise and their repeat business and recommendations to family and friends were an important source of her success. Barbara’s appreciation for historic properties lives on in her children. Her son, John, is the Chief of Historic Preservation in Annapolis. Her daughter, Alex, learned the business at her mother’s knee and continues the family real estate tradition in Annapolis.
The family home at 30 Maryland Avenue was the site of memorable parties and holiday celebrations. Barbara was giving and light-hearted. She enjoyed entertaining her many friends and she welcomed lots of guests to her homes. Most summers she went to Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard and relaxed with her family at the Chappaquiddick Beach Club.
Barbara had a soft spot for animals and raised lots of dogs including her dear Boston Terriers. She kept a gorgeous house and garden, both of which were included in Historic Annapolis tours, cooked delicious food and adored flowers. In her later years on Franklin Street, she could be spotted in her front yard watering beautiful plants and flowers. She was a long-time member of The Garden Club of Annapolis.
A devoted and giving sister, mother, grandmother and godmother, she was extremely proud of her family and taught them the joys and importance of togetherness. She kept her sense of humor until the end and is remembered with utmost respect, fondness and love.
The family will host visiting hours at John M. Taylor Funeral Home, 147 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, on Monday, March 13 from 5-7 p.m. A memorial service will be held at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church on Church Circle in Annapolis on Tuesday, March 14 at 3:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Anne’s School of Annapolis at www.stannesschool.org
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared on this website for the Tower family.
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