A construction industry professional and computing pioneer was also a driving force in getting the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society to its permanent address at the Daylesford Theatre in Hamilton.

Paul Lowry stood out as “a great friend to many and a highly respected member of community”, his family said.

Mr Lowry was executive vice-president and chief quantity surveyor at Woodbourne Associates Ltd, working there from its inception in 1978.

He retired from full-time work in 2010 but stayed on as a consultant.

Mr Lowry, from Birmingham, England, came to Bermuda in 1967 to work for Geoffrey Bird and Co on what was initially to be a two-year contract.

The business merged with Outerbridge and Redmond to form Woodbourne Associates, where he tutored a series of young Bermudian quantitative surveyors over the decades.

His career included leading the restoration of the Anglican Cathedral in Hamilton, which started in 1991.

Mr Lowry, who prided himself on versatility, quickly saw the value that early personal computers could bring to quantity surveying, which involves wide-ranging analysis of construction projects.

His family said he was first in line to purchase an Apple IIC computer, which came out 40 years ago, after the machines became available in Bermuda.

They explained: “Before the advent of Microsoft Windows and Excel spreadsheets, Paul taught himself how to code programs that would calculate the materials and costs for various building projects and present them in an easily readable and printable format.”

It included a program he developed to calculate prices for building Bermuda water tanks.

Mr Lowry was a past president of the Bermuda Association of Surveyors, a past chairman of the Alliance of the Construction Industry, and a past member of the Professional Surveyors Registration Council.

He served for many years on the parish council at St Theresa’s Catholic Cathedral, followed by St Patrick’s Church, after he moved to Smith’s.

He was also the chairman for the properties committee at the Bermuda National Trust, and served on the board of Mount Saint Agnes Academy.

At the BMDS, Mr Lowry took to the stage for numerous productions — memorably as Dame Widow Twanky in the 2012 Christmas pantomime, Aladdin.

Mr Lowry was involved there from his arrival in Bermuda. BMDS said its members were saddened by his passing.

He worked backstage in construction and crewing, as well as front of house at the Daylesford as an usher and frequent house manager.

The society said: “Aside from that huge contribution, Paul was one of the driving forces in the conception and realisation of the theatre at Daylesford, without which BMDS would not be the most active drama group in Bermuda.

“He was one of a small group of members who worked tirelessly to create a new venue for the performing arts on the island.

“It is their legacy, for which we are extremely grateful.”

Mr Lowry is survived by his wife, Veronica, sons Richard and James, and four grandchildren — Georgia, Henry, Cate and Harrison.

• Paul Vincent Lowry, one of Bermuda’s leading quantity surveyors, was born on April 5, 1944. He died in 2024, aged 80