Lloyd Elmer Gowen

July 26, 1932-June 7, 2018

Lloyd E. Gowen died Thursday, June 7, 2018, in Walnut Creek. He was 85. He was the son of Lloyd E. and Alice (née Baker) Gowen. He was a talented musician who played the flute and piccolo professionally. He had graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in 1954 and played with the Buffalo and National Symphonies before 1956 when he began playing in the San Francisco Symphony and Opera Orchestras, retiring in 1994.

He had met Lois Marie (née Auclair) while she was a music student at San Francisco State College and they were married in 1958 and had three children.

He taught flute privately and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Mills College and Stanford University. His professional legacy will live on through his students who are playing in symphonies around the world. His hobbies included cabinetry, marquetry, wood carving, photography, and the game of Go.

Lloyd was predeceased by his wife Lois on August 10, 2017. He is survived by his children John (Rose), Ralph (Robin) and Sharon (Ken) Rizzato; his grandchildren Jeffrey, Ron (Alona), Estephanie and Lloyd Gowen, Erin Gowen, and Mario and Nicholas (Denicha) Rizzato; three great-grandchildren Maer, Brennan and Marco; his two sisters Patricia Weller and Constance Coling and many nieces and nephews. Lloyd was a great influence on the lives of many people who had the great pleasure of meeting him over the years. He will be missed terribly. A memorial celebration of their lives will be held at 2:00 August 25, 2018, at the Oak Hill Park Community Center in Danville, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Curtis Insitute of Music (www. curtis.edu).