Michael Lower

On May 16, 2025, Michael Thomas Richard Lower passed away at home in Minneapolis. Michael was confronted with cancer five years ago. He continuously sought treatments, but found no cure. Michael was a historian, teacher, and father whose keen wit was matched by his decency, gentleness, and steadfastness. He inspired people in all the roles he played.

Michael was born in 1971 in Victoria, British Columbia, the cherished child of Peter and Triene Lower and the beloved brother of Elisa Lower. After stints in several Canadian cities, he was raised in Toronto, Ontario, surrounded by a loving family and a strong circle of friends, many of whom remained fixtures in his life over the years. With his friends, he shared a devotion to sports and rock music.

After undergraduate study at the University of Toronto, Michael earned his PhD at Cambridge University. In addition to numerous articles, he published The Barons’ Crusade: A Call to Arms and Its Consequences (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005) and The Tunis Crusade of 1270: A Mediterranean History (Oxford, 2018). In 2010 he was awarded a Mellon Foundation New Directions Fellowship that allowed him to study classical Arabic and early Islamic history at the University of Chicago and enrich his research by bringing together Arabic and European-language perspectives. More recently, his scholarship took another new direction as he began working on a project about Hakoah Vienna, a Jewish soccer club that, in his words, “beat the English at their own game and defied the Nazis.” The project was deeply meaningful to him as a converted Jew and football (soccer) fan.

In 2000, Michael joined the History Department of the University of Minnesota. Michael was an award-winning teacher and beloved mentor. Whether teaching the Crusades or Global History through Soccer, he got students excited about learning.

Throughout his life, Michael maintained a dry sense of humor, an insistence on decency, and a deep concern for the people around him and around the world. Most importantly, he was a devoted husband to Lianna and loving father to Isaac and Moses. Michael is survived by Lianna, Isaac, and Moses; his parents, Peter and Triene Lower; and his sister, Elisa Lower. Michael will be loved and missed by many people, even as his spirit and energy shine on in our daily lives.

Funeral service 10:00 AM on Monday, May 19th at Shir Tikvah Congregation, 1360 W. Minnehaha Pkwy., Minneapolis. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Fred Wells Tennis and Education Center (https://www.fwtec.org/donations) or the Zekelman Holocaust Center (https://holocaustcenter.org/support/).
Shiva information will be posted by the end of day on Sunday.

Link to funeral service (direct link below): www.hodroffs.com/MichaelLower