William Randall Marlowe

Intelligent, funny and generous: truly one of the best people we will likely ever know. Randy was so full of life and he always found great joy from bringing laughter and smiles to everyone in his presence with brilliant storytelling and wonderful humor.

William “Randy” Marlowe was born to parents Mary and Gene Marlowe, as the second child of four boys, in Denver, Colorado on April 11, 1948. Growing up in Colorado, Randy participated in the Boy Scouts and enjoyed playing basketball and football; he especially excelled in basketball. He also enjoyed spending time on his grandfather’s ranch, helping with the animals and horseback riding.

Randy graduated from Littleton High School in Colorado, where he will be most remembered for naming the school mascot “Victor E. Lion.” Following graduation, Randy went on to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder where he majored in Anthropology, and wrote for the college newspaper.

Randy thrived on conversation, and because he would engage people virtually anywhere, he seemed to make friends everywhere. He has a large group of best and close friends, who will remember him fondly for his sense of humor and larger than life personality. Most important to Randy was always his family. He absolutely adored his family. There was a twinkle in his eye when he spoke of his wife and daughters. He met his wife, Karen, in high school and they married in Littleton Colorado at the First United Methodist Church on August 14, 1971. Later, two daughters, Melissa and Heather joined them; two sons-in-law, Adrian and Matthew; and then four treasured grandchildren, Marlowe, Cameron, Elliott and Harrison.

In the early 1970’s, Randy served as an officer with the Boulder Police Department. While serving as a patrol officer, Randy was recognized for his natural observational skills, expert marksmanship and quick thinking. These attributes landed him on the narcotics squad where he was highly successful, a skill which was noticed by the newly formed US Drug Enforcement Agency, who recruited Randy just as the US government was kicking off it’s “war on drugs”. Randy’s service there led him on many adventures, but Randy and Karen had started a family, and while the job was a lot of things, it was certainly not safe. As he always did, Randy chose family and sought employment in a more stable environment.

Randy’s professional career primarily centered on his highly rewarding, and decorated 25 year tenure with IBM, most notably his time with IBM Global Services. There he served as Marketing Director, earned the Golden Circle Award honoring the top 1.5% of sales professionals, and was regularly recognized for his leadership, success and innovation. He led a region that continually exceeded all sales objectives and truly enjoyed his work with clients and companies that both became good friends. His achievements extended far beyond IBM. After he managed an acquisition and transition of his entire division (including their 35,000 customers) by AT&T, Randy very proudly used his experience to start two more businesses. He also found time to proudly serve his community as an elected official in the state of Florida for 10 years as district supervisor and vice chairman for the CDD, a taxing authority. In 2012, Randy retired in Tampa, Florida and moved to Austin to be closer to his family, where he went from managing people to managing his backyard, spending time with his grandkids and artistic pursuits.

Outside of work, Randy enjoyed playing poker, telling his famous jokes, glass blowing, cooking, wood working, landscaping and was a true cigar aficionado and scotch drinker. During college football season, you could count on Randy placing a few bets with friends Al Smith and Joe Eddington. Randy was an active member of local organizations including the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering) and ABPM (Association of Briefing Program Managers) and serving on the board Collie Club of Austin. In 1975 he got his first collie, Mac, and continued his dedication to the breed with Icy, Blackjack, Raleigh, Terra, Bella, and Chance. Randy loved taking his family on vacations including trips to Hawaii, England, Scotland, Palm Desert in California, Bermuda, Colorado and Washington, DC.

Beyond being a loving husband, father and grandfather; Beyond being a civil servant, and decorated executive; Beyond being a skilled outdoorsman, and elected official; Beyond having a steady poker face and one time officiating a wedding for close friends, Randy enriched the lives of so many through his charm, guidance and love. In kind Randy’s life was enriched deeply by seeing those he loved thrive and knowing he had some part in it.

A private memorial will be held for friends and family in Austin, Texas. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to the Lung Cancer Alliance.