Lazar “Larry” Lowinger

Lazar Lowinger, affectionally known as “Larry,” passed peacefully surrounded by family on May 9, 2026. He was born on November 7, 1934, to Julius Lowinger and Maria Gilburd in Antwerp, Belgium.

In 1936, the family moved to Bucharest, Romania, where they survived the Nazi occupation. After the war, the Lowingers left for France to obtain visas in Paris and disembark from Marseilles for Havana, Cuba. As a teenager in Cuba, Lazar worked in his father’s jewelry shop and was first introduced to tennis, which quickly became his lifelong passion. Just two days after arriving in the United States in 1954, he volunteered to join the U.S. Army, through which he learned English, was stationed in Alaska, and obtained his GED. Lazar attended college in Boston, Massachusetts, and Montreal, Canada. He put himself through law school and practiced law in Boston for decades as one of the first Spanish-speaking attorneys in the Commonwealth.

Lazar was full of wit and intelligence, fluent in seven languages and many one-liners. He enjoyed teaching his family tennis, sharing wisdom over pancakes, and watching tennis matches (always with a racquet in hand). Lazar was known to fondly say “Tennis is a game for life” and “Do one thing and do it better than anyone else.” He was a generous supporter and founding member of the Israel Tennis Center and Wightman Tennis Center, and competitor in countless tournaments throughout his life in New England, Israel, Mexico, and anywhere else he could practice, rally, or play a match.

Lazar was predeceased by his wife Audrey, whom he married in 1964 and with whom he shared his love of travel, theatre, and pastries, and then to whom he served as a dedicated, constant caregiver. He is survived by his son and caregiver Brian, daughter-in-law Debby, and his grandchildren Elena and Jesse of North Carolina. He is also survived by his son Jeffrey, daughter-in-law Shelley, and grandson Matthew of Maryland. After Audrey’s passing, Marilyn Glaser provided companionship and care to Lazar in Solivita, FL. Brian also is grateful to the staff at the Pavillion at Croasdaile Village in Durham, NC, for Lazar’s care and support over recent years.

Graveside service will be held at 10 am on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at the Independent Workmen’s Circle Cemetery, 776 Baker Street, West Roxbury, MA. Friends and family will gather afterwards at 1 pm at the Boston Marriott Newton in Newton, MA. An additional gathering in Lazar’s memory will be held on May 20, 2026, at 6 pm at Brian and Debby’s house in Chapel Hill, NC. In lieu of flowers, donations in Lazar’s memory may be made to the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, or whatever you feel will help repair the world.