Lotus Lowe Schiller

Lotus Lowe Schiller, age 82, of Enterprise, Alabama passed away Saturday, February 4, 2023 at Elba Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Memorialization will be by cremation and a celebration of life will be held at Christ the King Church at a later date, with burial at Chapel Cemetery in Monon, Indiana.

Mrs. Schiller was born June 24, 1940 in Indiana and was preceded in death by her daughter Kim Schiller, parents Lloyd and Nerine Lowe, and her brother Leonard Lowe. After graduation from High School Lotus enrolled in the School of Nursing at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Lafayette, Indiana, a 3-year diploma program. She graduated in 1961 as a Registered Nurse, qualified to work in numerous states without having to take the individual state boards every time. She went to work at Western Reserve Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio for a number of years. Getting homesick, she returned home to Indiana and went to work at White County Hospital in Monticello, Indiana. In May 1964 she met her future husband who had enrolled as a student at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. They got married on the 5 th of June 1965 in her hometown of Monon, Indiana. Lotus went to work at the Student Health Center at Purdue and became the head nurse of the emergency room after a short time. After her husband’s graduation in June 1969, the couple moved to Michigan for a short time until he was called to active duty with the Army. He had accepted a commission through ROTC. Daughter Kim was born in April 1970 with multiple problems, as diagnosed at Walter Reed Medical Center. She was not expected to live more than 48 hours. The couple was advised to give her up for an institution to care for her, which inthe couples’ mind would mean certain death for Kim. Lotus convinced the doctors (Eckhard mentioned that she was a nurse) to let her take her home, and if it is just for a few days…

Lotus had to feed her with an eye dropper every two hours to keep her alive. At the next appointment Kim had gained an ounce of weight and was very much alive. Kim had to be rehospitalized at Walter Reed several days later because of new problems. The doctors did give her little chance to survive and prepared the mother and dad for her passing. Lotus and Eckhard asked to have her baptized by one the hospital chaplains which was granted. Kim not only survived the night but was quite chipper the next morning. Doctors and nurses could hardly believe what they saw. The whole family went on an overseas assignment to Germany where Kim was treated at Landstuhl Medical Center until the Army decided to send the family many months later stateside to Fort Knox, Kentucky. Under Kentucky law, Kim had to be enrolled in a school setting for handicap children, according to her age. The school did not have a school nurse, so Lotus volunteered her services free of charge. This also provided her the opportunity to remain close to Kim during the school hours. Survivors include her husband of 57 years Eckhard Schiller; brother Melvin Lowe of Indiana and two nephews Craig Lowe and Robert (Lisa) Lowe also of Indiana. One great niece Cynthia Lowe.