Wilma C. Lowry

Wilma (Luers) Lowry passed away at Life Care Center of Cheyenne of natural causes (being too damned old, in her words) on May 17, 2016, at age 95. Wilma was proud of her pioneer ranching background, being born in Pinneo, Colorado on April 15, 1921 in a spring blizzard to William and Amelia (Oster) Luers. She attended a one room school house until high school and graduated from Wiggins High in 1938. She served in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II, stationed in Carlsbad, NM. After her discharge, she returned to Brush, Colorado and worked as a bookkeeper at the JC Penney’s. She married Robert Lowry in 1946 and they spent their early married years living in Morrison-Knudsen construction camps across the western U.S. and Canada where Bob was a construction electrician on tunneling and water development projects.
They returned to Brush, CO in 1952. After Bob’s death in 1968, Wilma worked as the office manager for the local Farmland Co-op and very much enjoyed her work with many of Morgan County’s farmers and ranchers until her retirement in 1983. During retirement, she enjoyed serving on the Friends of Library board and delivering for Meals on Wheels.
She moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming in 2012 to be closer to her daughter as her health began to deteriorate in her 90’s. She is survived by her daughter Sue Lowry and her husband Kevin Powell of Cheyenne; her son William (Bill) and his wife Debbie of Abilene, TX and their two daughters Melissa (Ben) Preston of Vancouver, WA and Caroline Lowry of Denver, CO.
Any friends who would like to make a donation in Wilma’s honor could consider the Friends of Eastern Morgan Country Library in Brush, CO or the Research Fund for the High Country News in Paonia, CO, or any humane league of their choosing. Cremation has taken place and a ceremony scattering her ashes over the sandhills of eastern Colorado that she loved so much will take place August 13th in Brush, Colorado. More information to come.