There’s a whole book of these moments known as “Lowellisms” in the book he wrote: The Lohman Way: Strategies for Building Multimillion Dollar Family Businesses. Lohman knew what needed to be said and who needed to be recognized. He always knew how to handle everyone and every situation,” says his wife, Nancy.
By the time he graduated from Florida State University, he had already become a legend in two sports – football and baseball – and a father of two. Later in life, he met Nancy. They fell in love and were happily married for 34 years. He often said his greatest accomplishment was marrying the 1981 Ohio State University Homecoming Queen. He was frequently heard to say, “Nancy really is my Cinderella.” Together they traveled the world completing a bucket-list itinerary: 70 countries, all the major wonders of the world, and all seven continents.
Lowell built an empire and then he sold it. Lohman Funeral Homes, Cremation & Cemeteries was a family-owned enterprise that operated 34 funeral homes and cemeteries from 1977-2012. It was the largest private owner of funeral homes and cemeteries in Florida when the Lohmans sold it for $25 million in 2012.
Then he built another empire. The real estate holdings the family owned became a large portfolio of 4,000 apartment buildings. They sold portions over the years to fuel additional rounds of real estate purchases.
He was a member of the CEO Business Alliance for many years, alongside Hyatt Brown and members of the France family. To say he was a philanthropist and successful business owner is an understatement. Lowell was one of the legends of community building in the Daytona area.
As he amassed his fortune, he funded capital projects for the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce, Ormond Memorial Art Museum, and Halifax Humane Society. Lowell and Nancy’s fur babies – Stretch, Sugarbear, Snowball, Snowflake, and Miss Peanut – all came from the non-profit they loved and supported, Halifax Humane Society. Their names are on the planetarium on the Daytona Museum of Arts and Sciences campus, now known as The Brown.
He and Nancy then launched yet another real estate project, but this one became the crowning jewel in their beautification efforts. The “Cupola at Oceanside” villas pay homage to the cupola that topped off the Ormond Hotel, built by John Anderson and Joseph Price in 1887.
On April 14, 2026, Gov. DeSantis signed SB 628 into law renaming Halifax Drive in Ormond Beach – the road that goes by The Cupola – as “Lowell Lohman Road.” The recognition was spearheaded by Senator Tom Leek and the team at Foundation Risk Partners, including Charlie Lydecker, Chris Tolland, and Robert (Bob) Lloyd.
The community project that ultimately meant the world to him and Nancy, though, was building a system of support, education, and care for people with diabetes.
Initially, Lowell and Nancy explored a variety of ways to help improve the lives of patients through conferences, partnerships with the YMCA, support for the Help a Diabetic Child Foundation, the creation of a diabetes lifestyle program, and development of an education and prevention health network with Halifax Health.
Diabetes can be a debilitating illness without quality care and a dedication to self-care. The disease can negatively affect almost every organ in the body. Loss of eyesight, skin infections leading to foot amputation, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and even stroke are common. A diabetic with poorly controlled blood sugar can experience shock, causing a debilitating fall and even a life-threatening coma. If you are diagnosed as a young person, as Lowell was, this means a lifetime of multiple glucose checks every day for the rest of your life, daily shots, pre-planning regular meals, daily fitness routines, and more if you want to live for any length of time.
To help ensure that others like him had access to life-changing medical care, Lowell and Nancy donated $4M to build the Lohman Diabetes Center of Excellence at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach. The facility in the Lohman Building opened in 2020 and has attracted additional world-class endocrinologists and dietitians to Daytona. The one-stop resource center includes on-site lab work, educational resources, and lifestyle coaching.
Success brought more success wherever he turned, but Lowell’s diagnosis with diabetes at the age of 18 led him to set a definitive health goal: to live to 80—which many people with diabetes don’t—but he did. Discipline, dedication, diligence, dogged determination, and embracing a joyful life kept him alive and made Lowell Lohman a legend.
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