John Roy Lowe

A wonderful, kind and sweet heart stopped beating on May 20, 2008, as John Roy Lowe departed this life and went to be with his Lord and Savior. He was surrounded by the family he loved so much.

He was the third child born to John S. and Florence (Nye) Lowe in Binger, OK on April 22, 1922. He had one brother, June, and three sisters, Helen, Dorothy and Patsy Ruth.

John Roy lived a full and interesting life growing up in Oklahoma, living the farm and ranch life and learning at an early age what hard work was having weathered the 1930's Great Depression.. At the age of 14 he learned to ride the railroad freight cars to different destinations where he would pick cotton, save the money and go back to Oklahoma to help his mother and sisters. He spent the summer when he was 17 in Cody, WY working for a rancher on Sage Creek but traveled back to Oklahoma in the fall where he rented some farm land. He bought a saddle horse, which he loved dearly. He had always loved horses. As an infant, his oldest sister would give him a ride on a horse with her to pacify him when he was fussy. At 19, he sold what livestock and equipment he had and joined the Ozarks 407th Infantry. His experience with hard work paid off as he quickly became Platoon Sgt. of the 3rd Battalion, M Co., 102nd Infantry Division, going from Camp Maxey to Fort Dix and on to Cherbourg, France with special training to break the Seigfried Line. Seven months later with 201 actual under fire combat days across Germany, they were on the Elbe River waiting to meet the Russians. He had battle fatigue and volunteered to stay in Germany for 2 more years in the Occupation Army. He was honorably discharged in l947 as 1st Sgt. with two Bronze Stars (one for Valor), a Good Conduct Medal, three Battle Stars and many other medals. He was proud of his service to his country.

He had a wonderful sense of humor and was always able to say something funny, even in tough times and he loved to entertain with stories about his life. If there was a crowd gathered at a farm sale, he usually was in the middle, giving them the humorous version of some incident.

He came to Burlington in 1947, purchased a small ranch, which was always his dream - just to have a ranch of his, own. He liked to say he chased one of the Burlington girls until she caught him and they married on July 19, 1948 and spent the next sixty years just enjoying their life ranching, raising registered horses, commuting to Basin with a job there five days a week, improving and adding acreage to the ranch and having two sons, seven grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren who were the joy of their lives.

His parents, brother, two sisters, father and mother-in-law, five brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, and several nieces and nephews predeceased him. His beloved son, Roy Michael, also predeceased him on May 20, 2001, and a great-granddaughter, Kirsten, also predeceased him. He will be missed greatly by his beloved wife, Margaret, his grand-daughters, Tracey, Kimberly (Sean), Dana (Shad), Wendy (James), Vicki (Travis), his grandsons, Eric (Traci), Nathan (Jennie), his great-grandchildren, Bret Ashley, Austin, Damien, Jaxon, Michael, McKenna, Isaac, Josilyn, Waylon, Aidan, Cory, Thayne, and Claire; his daughter-in-law Carol Lowe, his sister, Patsy Ruth (Charles) Clark, his sisters-in-laws, Maxine (William) Boynton, Marie Hendricks, brother in-law, Jerry Nicholson (Hulene), many nieces, nephews and his two companions, Tuffy and Buddie.

Visitation will be Thursday, May 22 from 6 to 8 p. m. at Thompson Funeral Home who is in charge of arrangements. Graveside services will be at Burlington Cemetery on Saturday, May 24 at 10:30 a. m. Honorary pallbearers are all his friends.

"Hi Honey, d'ya' think the rain'll hurt the rhubarb?"