Carl Lowery Jr
Carl Henry Lowery, Jr., age 95, of Marion, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at Charles George VA Medical Center – Hospice Care.
Born on October 26, 1929, in McDowell County, Carl was the son of the late Carl Henry Lowery, Sr. and Lela Mae Mullenex Lowery. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by all three of his siblings, Terry Lowery, Helen McCoy, and Pauline Mills; his nephew, Jerry Mills; his beloved dog of many years, Jill; and his sweet cat, Miss Priss.
A proud Korean War veteran, Carl served aboard the USS Cavalier during the Battle of Inchon. After his military service, he worked for Marion Manufacturing for 45 years before spending another 20 years with the Nebo Convenience Center, where he remained until his retirement.
Carl was a man of keen intellect and endless curiosity. A prolific reader, he even enjoyed reading encyclopedias for leisure. His fascination with trains and railroads led him to research them extensively and travel to see them in person. For a period, he was also deeply interested in telescopes and photography, even maintaining a darkroom in his home to develop his own slides and photographs.
An avid outdoorsman, Carl found joy in hiking, camping, riding dirt bikes, shooting skeet, and fishing. In his younger years, he often rode his dirt bike through the rugged terrain of Linville Gorge. He was also a lifelong baseball fan and a dedicated supporter of the Asheville Tourists, proudly holding season passes for more than 50 years. Carl was a man who thrived on activity—never one to sit idle.
Those left to cherish his memory include his niece and nephews, Judy Parker of Hickory, Tom McCoy (Kathy) of Marion, Tim Mills (Sharon) of Valdese, Gary Mills (Judy) of Black Mountain, David Lowery of Asheboro, Marc Lowery (Angela) of Myrtle Beach, SC, and Anthony Lowery (Jane) of Myrtle Beach, SC; along with numerous great-nieces and nephews and great-great-nieces and nephews.
A graveside service to celebrate Carl’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at Oak Grove Cemetery with his great-niece, Rev. Ashley McCoy-Bruce, officiating. Military honors will be provided by the U.S. Navy.
In lieu of flowers, we would be honored to have you support Charles George VA Medical Center – Hospice Care at va.gov/asheville-health-care/work-with-us/volunteer-or-donate, as they supported us in our time of need, or memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or online at www.stjude.org.