Towey served in the Army during the Vietnam War and was stationed for a time in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Prior to entering the Army he attended Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota and subsequently moved to Chicago to attend the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University).
Towey had a military experience during the Vietnam War and was stationed briefly in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Before that, he studied at Saint John's University in Minnesota and later moved to Chicago to study drama at the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now affiliated with DePaul University).