- Date Of Birth: November 9, 1932
- Date Of Death: October 29, 2022
- State: Alabama
Mary Ann (Jewell) Lowery was born to Millard and Oda Lee (Billingsley) Jewell in Columbus, Mississippi on November 9, 1932. She passed away at her home in Meridianville, Alabama, on October 29, 2022, at 89 years old. She was married to Harold “Ray” Lowery for 57 years until his passing in 2011. She is survived by her children, Mike Lowery (Kathleen), Rachel Ray (Graham), Steve Lowery (Karen), David Cowart (Sherry) and Bobby Cowart, 9 grandchildren and 6 great- grandchildren.
Though Mary Ann was an only child she grew up as part of a close extended family in the Millport, Alabama area. Mary Ann was an alumnus of what is now the University of Montevallo when it was a college for women only. She enjoyed participating in drama and plays, often playing the male roles since her voice was lower than some of the other women. After a semester of schooling in the big city of New York, she returned to the south and worked as a demonstrator and model for hair care products. She eventually started working at W-I-L-D radio in Birmingham doing interviews and programming. This is where she met and eventually married Ray who was the station engineer and 17 years older than her. Mary Ann was a gifted teacher, speaker and counselor. She taught at Madison Academy for several years and coordinated such events as the Spring Coronation and craft shows. She was noted for her work in ceramics. She also conducted a kindergarten in her home.
Driven by her faith in God, Mary Ann had a zeal for repairing relationships and making the world a better place for those in need. She was always quick with a card or note of encouragement for those with struggles, victories and milestones. In the late 1960s, she and Ray opened their home as a foster home and place of refuge through what eventually became AGAPE of North Alabama. It is through this that David and Bobby Cowart became part of the family and many others passed through for a few days, weeks or months. She also devoted herself to caring for her family. She acted as nurse and caregiver for her father, her mother and her husband in their homes until their deaths.
She always loved reading, games, especially word games like Scrabble and Boggle, socializing and studying the Bible. She had a flair for the dramatic and would not hesitate to dress up for Halloween or a Vacation Bible School if it helped liven up an event or presentation. She loved to work out at Curves well into her 80s and took pride in her accomplishments of having completed many hundreds of exercise sessions until Parkinson’s made that impossible.
Mary Ann was a beloved member of the Merdianville church of Christ since 1964. She taught Bible classes for children and women for several decades, coordinating the children’s education program for some of that time. After Ray passed, she enjoyed eating out with her friends after church on Sundays and the Young At Heart group for seniors.
