Lauren Shulkind is an American mosaic artist and the widow of Tony Dow. He played Wally Cleaver on the TV show Leave It to Beaver. She also worked in advertising and helped older film and TV workers. The couple married in 1980 and stayed together until his death in 2022.

Her life included far more than red carpet events. She made art for her home, worked on film projects, acted onstage and helped people share their memories. Those jobs let her use both her creative skills and her interest in people.

In this article, you’ll learn about her early work, her family, her marriage to Dow, the art she made and the ways she helped others. You’ll also find what is known about her life since his death.

Who Is Lauren Shulkind?

She has also used the name Lauren Dow. That name appears in accounts of her stage work and her service to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, or MPTF.

Her husband became famous as a child actor. He played the kind older brother on Leave It to Beaver, which ran from 1957 to 1963. He played the role again when the Cleaver family returned to TV in the 1980s.

She took a different path. She worked behind the scenes in media, tried several forms of art and took part in local stage shows. She did not need an acting career to take part in the arts.

Viewers saw part of that life on CBS Sunday Morning in January 2022. The show visited the couple as they talked about making art and the role it played in their lives.

Her Early Years and Education

Her early work and school years had ties to the Kansas City area. The Kansas City Star identified her as a graduate of Shawnee Mission East High School in Kansas.

A profile from the Brown-Ullstrup Performing Arts Foundation says she once worked as a print model for Muehlebach’s Bridal Shop. That job came before her later work in radio and TV ads.

The same foundation says she lived for a time in Taiwan during the Vietnam War era. She traveled with her Old English Sheepdog, Gladiola.

She also ran the Fetich Art Gallery of Native Peoples of the World in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Her work there gave her a direct role in an art business.

She went on to study design at the Kansas City Art Institute. She later worked as a TV and radio producer at an ad agency in Kansas City.

How Lauren Met Tony Dow

Dow was in Kansas City for a stage show with Jerry Mathers, his former TV co-star. They were appearing at Tiffany’s Attic, a dinner theater in the city.

Shulkind was working in advertising at the time. Her agency had plans for a local McDonald’s commercial and wanted Dow to appear in it.

The job led to a meeting in 1979. Their first contact was about an ad, but a close bond grew from that start.

They married in June 1980. The wedding came after Dow’s first marriage to Carol Marlow had ended.

Their marriage lasted about 42 years. They traveled, worked on shows and shared a home where both could make art.

Marriage, Children and Family

Tony had a son named Christopher Dow with Carol Marlow. Christopher was born in 1973, years before his father married Lauren.

That made Christopher her stepson. The couple had no children together identified in the main accounts of their family.

Christopher later married Melissa, and they have a daughter named Tyla. She is Tony’s granddaughter. These ties made Lauren part of a family with a new generation.

Christopher also made a brief TV appearance in 1988. He played a young Wally in an episode of The New Leave It to Beaver. He did not go on to seek a long career on screen.

The Mosaic Art She Made at Home

The couple lived in Topanga Canyon, near Los Angeles. Their house stood in the Santa Monica Mountains, where they spent many years on hands-on home projects.

Mosaics were Lauren’s main art form. She set small pieces into larger designs, then placed them in parts of the house and garden. Her art was made to be lived with.

Past accounts of the home describe tile designs near a wood stove, on a kitchen wall and around an outdoor fountain. The work gave plain spaces color and shape.

Tony brought his own skills to the work. He made sculptures and built things from wood and metal. They did not always make the same kind of art, but each added to the home.

By 2017, she had spent close to 30 years making mosaics around the property, according to a stage program that featured the couple. It was a long-term part of her life, not a short hobby.

Work in Film and on Stage

A Role Behind the Camera

The Brown-Ullstrup foundation credits her as a co-producer of Child Stars: Their Story for the A&E Network. The film looked at the lives of people who became famous when they were young.

The subject had a clear link to Dow’s past. He became a household name while still a child, then spent much of his adult life making a new path in TV and art.

Her work on that film was in production. It added to the skills she had used for ads and media work in Kansas City.

Taking the Stage With Her Husband

She also performed with Dow in Love Letters, a play by A. R. Gurney. Two actors read letters that trace a bond over many years.

The pair took the play to Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, Wisconsin, for shows from November 3 to 5, 2017. A local arts foundation helped put on the event.

It was not their only run. MPTF later said they took the play to several cities. That gave her a public role as a performer, not just as a guest beside her husband.

Helping Film and TV Workers as They Aged

Lauren began to work with MPTF in the mid-1990s. The fund helps people from the film and TV world, both during their careers and in later life.

She took part in events and spent time with older residents. At Harry’s Haven, she used songs and other group activities to connect with people who had memory loss.

Her mother had been a volunteer for 45 years. Lauren spoke of that example when she told MPTF why she wanted to help others.

She also joined writer Betty Freeman to start a workshop where residents could tell their life stories. That effort became the 2005 book Behind the Silver Screen: Stories from Residents of the Motion Picture & Television Fund Retirement Community.

The book brought together the stories of 74 residents. It gave a voice to people whose work in movies and TV did not always put them in front of a camera.

The book later helped inspire a TV series on the MPTF campus, first hosted by Joe Sutton. The fund also described her visits with residents in its 2022 annual report. This work is a clear part of her public record.

Tony Dow’s Health and Death

Dow spoke about his struggle with depression. In later years, he used art as one way to cope, along with treatment and support from people close to him.

When CBS Sunday Morning spoke with the couple in 2022, Lauren said she was proud of his choice to talk openly about his health. The topic was personal, but he hoped his words could help others.

In May 2022, the couple shared news of his cancer. His health grew worse, and he later entered hospice care.

A report of his death on July 26, 2022, was sent out too soon. His family and team then made clear that he was still alive.

Dow died the next day, July 27, at age 77. His son paid tribute to him as a loving father and a guide in his life.

What Is Known About Her Life Today?

Since her husband’s death, she has kept her day-to-day life mostly private. Her known work is tied to art, production, stage shows and her years with the film and TV community.

The Topanga house is a key part of her past. A recent public account has not set out her present home address or daily routine, so that old address should not be treated as a current one.

Her body of work does not depend on a new TV role or a public event each year. It includes projects that still tell us how she spent her time and where she chose to help.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Was Lauren Shulkind Tony Dow’s first wife?

No. His first wife was Carol Marlow. He married Lauren in 1980, after that first marriage ended.

Did she and Tony Dow have a child together?

No child of the couple is identified in established family accounts. Christopher Dow is Tony’s son from his first marriage and Lauren’s stepson.

Was she an actress on Leave It to Beaver?

She was not part of the original sitcom cast. She worked in ads and art and later performed with Tony onstage.

What did she create with Betty Freeman?

They worked with older MPTF residents on their life stories. The project led to the book Behind the Silver Screen in 2005.

How did Tony Dow and Lauren Shulkind meet?

They met in Kansas City through an ad job in 1979. Her agency wanted him for a McDonald’s TV commercial.

Final Thoughts

Lauren Shulkind made a life that linked art, media and service. Her work ranged from studio projects to mosaics and books that gave older people a chance to be heard.

Her time with Tony Dow explains why so many people know her name. Her own projects give readers a fuller view of the work she did and the people she helped.

You may also read: Jill Vandenberg: Tony Curtis, Shiloh Rescue and Life Today.