Chester Franklin Low, a long-time resident of Middleburg, died in Lawrence, Kansas on Bastille Day, July 14, 2013. It was an eminently appropriate day for a man who was a lover of all things French, a disciple of the Enlightenment and a passionate believer in the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Chet was 90 years old.

Chet was a native of New York City. Always passionate about freedom, he had wanted to enlist on the anti-fascist side in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930's, but was too young to do so. On turning 18, he headed north to Canada and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force to fight against Nazi Germany. This was over a year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

When the U.S. entered World War Two, Chet returned to serve first as a submarine spotting pilot for the Civil Air Patrol and then as a navigator with the United States Army Air Forces. He ended the war serving on a B-24 heavy night bomber in the Pacific. In May 1946, after a six-week courtship, he married his wife of 67 years Helen (Peg) Fisher, who was serving as an Army nurse.

Chet left the military to attend college shortly after his marriage. He received BA and MA degrees in history from the University of Texas and was working on a PhD at Princeton before joining the CIA as a research analyst. He remained active in the US Air Force Reserve as a navigator until 1972. He retired from government service in 1977

In retirement, Chet and Peg moved out to the Virginia countryside and built a house in Middleburg Downs. Chet swam in its pool every day and played tennis on its court as often as he had a partner to compete against. His Bastille Day parties were a highpoint of his year. He was a constant taker of daily constitutional walks in the neighborhood, often accompanied by his St. Bernard dog, Maggie. He was interested in everyone he met and would engage them in discussions about social, political, philosophical, and theological topics. He was a self-confessed disciple of the Enlightenment and loved to discuss the deepest subject matter. Voltaire was a particular favorite, especially the satire Candide and its wry take on the follies of the world.

Chet was a parishioner for many years at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg. In 1993, on the occasion of the church's 150th anniversary, he commemorated the event by writing and publishing an interpretive historical essay on the social, political, economic, and religious context in which the church flourished over the years. Chet maintained a benevolently agnostic outlook, although his wide knowledge of Western Civilization and his passion for classical music strongly inclined him to a transcendental, spiritual view of the human condition.

Chet is survived by his wife Peg who was the treasurer for over 30 years of Middleburg FISH, the local assistance group founded by Nancy Manierre, Rene Llewellyn, and Florence Kaye. Chet is also survived by his three sons, Ronald, Rodney, and Roger and their children and grandchildren. His family suggests that contributions in his name might be sent to the organization Doctors Without Borders.