The house that Tony Dow and his wife share in Los Angeles is decorated to highlight both of their creative sides. As he fought an illness that might perhaps take his life in July 2022, the actor was receiving hospice care and was accompanied by his closest family and friends.
The majority of Tony Dow’s followers are aware of how he rose to fame in 1957 because of his part in “Leave It to Beaver,” which he played until the series ended in 1963. After he had just begun his career as an actor, he performed the part of Wally Cleaver in it, despite not having any prior acting experience.
In 1969, some years after the conclusion of the legendary television series, Tony wed his first wife, Carol Marlow. During the course of their marriage, on March 26, 1973, the couple celebrated the birth of their first and only child, a boy named Christopher Dow. However, in 1980, the couple divorced and never had another child together.
In the same year that Tony and Marlow divorced, he tied the knot with Lauren Shulkind, who is now his wife. The actor and the mosaic artist had been married for 42 years by the year 2022, and they were quite secretive about their personal lives.
Although Lauren gained some celebrity in the year that she married her husband, she did not disclose a significant amount of her private life to the public. She was born in 1947 in New York, but it wasn’t until 1978 in Kansas City that she met her famous spouse.
Lauren wrote a message on Tony’s Facebook account stating that she and the celebrity were married on June 16, 1980. The post was shared by Tony. Their wedding took place in Laguna Beach, California, among the tide pools and hermit crabs that encircled them.
CBS Sunday Morning had an interview with the happy couple on January 18, 2022, and asked them questions on a variety of issues. When asked what it was about her spouse that made her fall in love with him, Lauren said as follows:
“His gentleness, sensitivity, and vulnerability…”
The interviewer noticed that Lauren’s description sounded a lot like Tony’s character, Cleaver, and wanted to know whether the star has any of the characteristics that Cleaver did on the show. The explanation was given by the actor’s wife:
“I believe that there is a significant amount of Tony in the persona. They are bound together. Wally was extremely similar to Tony in many ways.”
After the last episode of “Leave it to Beaver” aired, Tony and his wife continued to have a peaceful life in their little abode. During the interview with CBS Sunday Morning that the pair did together, the actor displayed one of his sculptures that was kept in the workshop at his house.
The workshop was constructed entirely out of wood, and it had a number of windows for ventilation as well as a number of items that were on exhibit. Tony, who was now working as a sculptor, would typically devote around fifty hours to the creation of one of his significant works.
The mosaic pieces that Lauren created were also manufactured at the studio that she and her husband shared. She divulged the fact that Tony had produced some of his finest work while battling depression, and that the combination of his artwork, medicine, and counseling had helped him recover.
The charming property where the celebrity resided included a picket fence that encircled the yard and trees that provided cover. Both the interviewer and him were situated on a colorful stone bench created with pebbles and cement and adorned with blankets for the comfort of their backs.
In front of what could have been a fountain was a table that had been set up. The pair had a nice view of their surroundings thanks to some wooden steps and a deck in addition to the succulents and other flora that encircled the house.
The inside of Tony’s residence had a number of plates that were used for decorating, as well as a photograph of the couple when they were younger that was hung up in a prominent location. The celebrity’s home, which had exposed wooden beams, was located in the hills overlooking Los Angeles.
Lauren’s husband has some mementos from the television show “Leave it to Beaver,” despite the fact that the show ended a long time ago. He had pictures with his other co-stars, novels, a pennant from the show’s fictitious Mayfield High School, a bound collection of the series scripts, and a box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes that featured Tony and the face of one of his other co-stars.
The actor also showed off his garage, which had a collection of bicycles and other trinkets, as well as the very first automobile he had ever purchased. Tony said that his childhood and adolescent years spent performing were challenging for him since he had a hard time identifying who he was apart from his roles.
After Tony and his wife were interviewed, his family broke the devastating news that they had received about the celebrity a few months later. At the beginning of May 2022, Lauren revealed the news that her spouse had been diagnosed with cancer on her Facebook profile that belonged to her husband. She wrote:
“To All of Tony Dow’s Friends and Supporters: I am writing to inform you of some information that will make your heart sink. The news that Tony has been diagnosed with cancer once again is quite unfortunate.”
The actor’s wife said that her husband was “bravely” addressing “this truth,” and she characterized the actor’s prognosis as “really painful.” However, the message did not elaborate on the specific kind of cancer that the celebrity had.
In a follow-up article that he published later in the month, Tony revealed that he had started immunotherapy, which proved to be effective. He disclosed that he was able to get up and walk without assistance and that he was experiencing an improvement on a regular basis. In addition, he stated:
On the 31st, I have an important appointment with the doctor, and I’m crossing my fingers for a positive outcome.
Regrettably, this was not the first time in recent years that Tony had a frightening medical episode. In August of 2021, he was readmitted to the hospital with pneumonia; however, his family clarified to TMZ that the illness was not connected to COVID-19.
In June of 2022, a statement on Tony’s diagnosis that was prepared by his management team and posted to his Facebook account described how he’d had highs and lows since receiving the news. Even though he was in and discharged from the hospital several times for treatment and a variety of issues, the actor and his wife continued to have a cheerful attitude.
On the other hand, the group got a phone call from Melissa Dow, Tony’s daughter-in-law, who revealed that he was still alive despite the fact that he was not in good health.
In the latter part of that month, a post said that he had passed away, but his management team withdrew it afterward. Judy Twersky, a lifelong friend of the famous, said that the actor’s wife had informed her that he was still alive, and she corroborated this information.
She let out that Lauren had informed her that Tony was receiving treatment at a hospice facility. According to Twersky, the actor’s wife did not know what had transpired to prompt the management team to disseminate the erroneous statement.
Christopher, Tony’s only child, posted a status update on his father’s Facebook account at the end of July 2022 stating that his father was at home but “in his dying hours.” Christopher’s post said that Tony was at home at this time. He said that he and his wife, Melissa, were at the side of the celebrity, in addition to several of his friends who had come to visit.
Christopher remarked on the “fighting heart” that his father had. An update described how a heartbroken Lauren had informed her husband’s management team that he had passed away and requested them to contact his admirers, which they did. The post also said that Lauren had urged the management team to alert her husband’s supporters.
On the other hand, the team got a phone call from Tony’s daughter-in-law, who informed them that he was still alive despite the fact that he was not in good health. The actor’s devoted following did not stop praying for him to make a full recovery.
