LEWISTON — Terry Lowell has a prized possession in his office/break room at the Lewiston Memorial Armory on Central Avenue where he works in maintenance.

It’s a picture of him and his wife, Sharon. Both are beaming. She died in August after a long illness.

“I was right there,” he said. “When she went cold, I lost it.”

Two years ago, Lowell and his wife made news after a housekeeper stole $28,000 from them. “We only got $7,000 back,” Lowell said.

Today, Lowell is mourning her loss. But he feels blessed to have had her.

“I’m thankful that for 34 years, I had that wonderful person in my life,” Lowell said. “I am very grateful. I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

He’s also thankful for his job and for the support he receives from his colleagues, who are always there for him whenever he needs to talk.

Lowell, 72, is rebuilding his life. As anyone who’s lost someone knows, it’s tough work.

“I’ve never been alone,” Lowell said. He was married to his first wife for 14 years, and to Sharon for 34 years.

If you ask Lowell what Sharon was like, a smile lights up his face.

“Oh God. She could walk in a room and make everybody smile,” he said. “It was just her personality. She was always smiling.” He added that she was religious and used to to say she’d go to a better place someday when she died.

Sharon, 62, died from multiple system atrophy, a rare condition that causes symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. The sickness “took her from walking to a wheelchair in nine months.”

Since Sharon needed 24/7 care, help arrived whenever Terry went to work. He cared for her when he wasn’t working.

When he first met Sharon 36 years ago, she was in a bad marriage. Her status didn’t stop him from pursuing her, however. “She thought I was one cocky son-of-a-gun,” Lowell said with a laugh.

For years, Terry and Sharon lived in a big house off Minot Avenue in Auburn, where they raised two children. They later moved to a smaller home and were blessed with grandchildren.

Now the house is up for sale. It’s too quiet without her.

“I miss going home and having no one to talk to about my day,” he said. For a while “I couldn’t even stay in the house. I got a motel room. I was gone. I just couldn’t talk.”

What’s helped him, he said, is being around other people.

“Coming here and doing my job. My boss, my supervisor, the whole office has been supportive,” he said. “Here’s where I loosen up.”

Talking helps, he said. “It’s the only way I can get it out. I’ve been in AA for 32 years. I know what to do somewhat. You have to get it out.”

He also sees a counselor. “She’s been a godsend.”

And there’s his children and grandchildren, especially granddaughter Abby, whom he sees most days. “She’s a doll.”

Roland Martel, 81, of Lewiston, also frequently thinks about his late wife. She died of leukemia last June.

He and Lorraine were married for 51 years. “She was a very nice person, a hard working wife and mother,” Martel said. He met her when a family member asked if he would take his niece to a New Year’s Eve dance.

When Lorraine was diagnosed with the illness, Roland dedicated himself to her care. After her death in June, Martel sold his house and moved into an apartment.

He gets support from his children, grandchildren and his wife’s family. “And I started coming here,” he said, referring to the Lewiston Senior Center.

He said he’s glad he had Lorraine in his life all those years. “We were good,” he said.

Lowell has advice for others suffering a loss, and for those around them.

“Give them empathy. Let them know” they can call you whenever. “Have a cup of coffee. This person needs some help.”

“I isolated myself for four weeks,” he added. “It was no good. I lost a lot of weight. I had no spunk, no energy. I didn’t care.”

Lowell said that widows and widowers need to reach out and get out of the house.

“Don’t isolate yourself. Don’t wait as long as I did. It’s not good.”