Steve Lowe
&
Jean Lowe
Owners

Ron Lowe

Ron Lowe was sending mixed messages the last week of his life. On the one hand, he was telling his wife, Jean, "I'm going to live to be 120. I've made up my mind." On the other, he was oddly melancholy, reflecting on his childhood, his many friendships, the success of this children. "The kids are OK." he said. "I feel like I could just go on and do whatever I have to do."

"What do you have to do?" Jean asked. "I don't know," he said. "Just whatever I have to do.

Because of his unusual sadness, Jean offered to watch his 5K run Sunday morning. She usually passed on those shorter runs because he left so early and was home by 10 a.m. Ron was delighted and introduced her to his pals in the South Coast Road Runners as if she'd never met them before, which she had -- many times. There was a peculiar urgency in his desire to share his running life.

Could he have sensed it was his last run?

Two miles into the race, Ron fell to the ground. One hour later he was dead at age 62 of Aortic Dissection. He'd been a zealous runner since 1994. A month before, he had run the Santa Clarita Marathon. A week after that, he clocked his best time in a 5K -- 21:40. He kept a daily diary of how far he'd run, how fast, and which shoes he'd worn, adding such details as "iced left foot."

That's how Ron was about everything -- meticulous. He did nothing half way.

He put bras on his Volvos and DeLoreans to keep them blemish-free, and once built himself a dune buggy that never saw sand. He didn't want it to get pitted.

Owner of Swedish Asian Auto service on Grand Avenue in Santa Ana, he kept that shop so clean you could serve Christmas dinner on the floor. And it's a very busy shop.

He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but moved to Sidmouth in Devon County, England, at age 4. He excelled in sports and was a runner and championship boxer.

At 21, after obtaining an apprenticeship in auto repair, he sailed to New Zealand, where he lived for four years before joining a friend in Vancouver, Canada. He worked on imported cars, and married Jean Dlugash in 1961.

One day Jean spied a newspaper ad for a foreign-car mechanic in California. Ron sent an application and got a call saying he'd been hired.

What city, Jean wanted to know. "I dunno," Ron said. "It was San something." They grabbed a map of California, only to find every other city here is "San something." The job, it turned out, was in San Pedro.

Ron was an extraordinary auto mechanic and problem solver. He went quickly from Ramiro's Auto Repair to Triumph Motor Cars, then on to Volvo of America, where he became training director for the West Coast.
When Volvo wanted to move him to New Jersey, 1979, Ron opened his own shop in Santa Ana and moved the family to Orange County. Their home is in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Ron's charm went far beyond his ability to fix anything wrong with your car. He was an incredibly nice guy.
But not in a boisterous, back-slapping way. He had a different relationship with each of his friends, and each felt Ron was his or her best friend. He was quietly positive and encouraging.

Ron wasn't a demonstrative man. He told others how wondrous his children were but rarely told the kids. Compliments from him were few and cherished. A passing, "good job" meant the world to his employees. When things weren't up to snuff, he'd remind them of his high standards with a quiet "Formula One, boys."

But then, de didn't expect compliments either. He did nothing for show. He almost never lost his temper. And even his rage was quiet, expressed by slow, measured speech uttered in an ominously low voice.
His love for live, though, was evident -- every time he took a sip of British ale, his first bite of dinner, lifted a glass of water or left or entered a room,.

"Cheers!" he'd say, as his thoroughly engaging grin enveloped his face.

(First appeared in Orange County Register, Friday Dec 11, 1998) Written by Robin Hinch

The dream Ron had for Swedish Asian Auto Service is being carried on and fulfilled by his son, Steve, his wife Jean and a great staff of employees.

Please give us a call today at (866) 426-1682 and experience our quality service that gives your peace of mind.