Photo courtesy of Paul Funeral Home of Washington
Washington, North Carolina
Dec 12, 1946 – Jan 30, 2023
John William Lowe, Jr., age 76, a resident of Grimesland, NC, died Monday, January 30, 2023, at Hospice House in Greenville, NC after a period of declining health. He was a devoted husband, a dedicated educator, a sports enthusiast, an avid reader, a loving uncle, and a good friend.
A celebration of life will be held at 12:00 PM Saturday, February 11, 2023, in the Chapel of Paul Funeral Home & Crematory and will be officiated by Rev. Gene Williams. Visitation will precede the service at 11:00 AM.
John was born December 12, 1946, in Washington, DC and graduated from Woodward School for Boys where he was a three-sport athlete. The school athletic fields were on the Ellipse on the grounds of the White House. He graduated from East Carolina University in 1970 where he was sports editor for both the Buccaneer yearbook and the East Carolinian newspaper and was inducted into Alpha Phi Gamma journalism honor society. His duties as a sportswriter led him to work with game statistics for both basketball and football at ECU, where he served fifty seasons each.
After graduation, he taught for two years at Walstonburg Elementary before teaching middle school in Chocowinity for thirty years. After retirement, he worked in after-school enrichment programs at Chocowinity and did substitute work at Chocowinity Middle, Southside High School, and Beaufort County Early College High School. He spent several years as a homebound tutor for the Beaufort County School system, serving students from every school in the county. During his teaching career, he also served as assistant baseball coach with Neal Titus for several years. During the summers of the 1970s and 1980s, he worked at the Putt-Putt miniature golf course in Greenville where he enjoyed seeing many of his students come to play and developed lasting friendships with adult league players.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Nelda Sullivan Lowe; brothers- and sisters-in-law Linda and Jerome Naylor, Helen Brooks, and Judy and Leroy Waters; nieces and nephews Michael Watkins, LeRoy Watkins, Chris Watkins, Jeanette Jackson, Holly Sturges, Jerry Naylor, Norman Brooks, Jason Brooks, Johnathan Brooks, Julie Randolph, JoEllen Hemink, and Emily Page; and feline companions Kinky, Buttercup, Pepper, and Lucky. John was preceded in death by his parents John W. Lowe, Sr. and Ruth Carden Lowe, sister Barbara Watkins, and nephew Mark David Watkins.
Those wishing to make a memorial tribute in John’s name are asked to consider The John and Nelda Lowe Endowment in the Honors College at ECU. The mailing address is ECU Office of Gift Records, 2200 South Charles Boulevard, Mail Stop 301, Greenville, NC 27858-4353. Checks should be payable to ECU Foundation, Inc. You might also consider your local Humane Society or St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Condolences may be addressed to the family online by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com
Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Lowe family.
Read MoreMrs. Lowe, it is an honor to know you and an exceptional honor to call Mr. Lowe, Friend. A true professional, motivator, educator and athlete. Just a good person. You both impacted my life and helped with all the success that God has granted me in life. I am forever grateful!
Cleveland Rogers
May 02, 2023 | Friend
John was such a nice fellow. I used to play a lot of putt putt back when I was younger and John was so nice and fun to talk to. He and his wife were such kind folks. Hadn’t seen him in years but he seems to have led a very full life. My thoughts and prayers are with you’ll during this time.
Rest in peace John.
Jay Wynne
February 15, 2023 | Greenville, NC | Friend
Enjoyed working with Mr. Lowe.He was a wonderful individual who took his work seriously and whom you could always count on! He had a good relationship with his students and were respected by them! He will be sorely missed by family and friends!
B LARRY Knox
February 15, 2023 | WASHINGTON, NC | Friend
Mr. Lowe! My 7th grade teacher! I still remember that smile and enthusiasm he had in teaching us. Rest in Peace- God be with you Mrs. Lowe, you are in my prayers.
Terri Dixon
February 12, 2023 | Chesapeak, VA | Student
I will always fondly remember Mr. John Lowe for his kindness, smile, compassion, contagious laugh, intelligence, and love of education and learning. He loved teaching, he loved his students, and these two qualities together created a magic place in his classroom where students felt valued, respected, and enjoyed learning. Mr. Lowe was patient, and always took the time to listen to his students and provide a word of encouragement when it was needed. He was also a true professional, and...
Stacey Gerard
February 11, 2023 | Chocowinity, NC | Student
John was always the same. I never saw him angry. He married my sister on my daughter’s 5th birthday and I never saw them upset at each other. He had a full busy life and will be missed.
Linda Naylor
February 11, 2023 | Graham, NC | Family
Mrs. Lowe my deepest condolences on the loss of Mr. Lowe. You guys were two of the most impactful teachers ever. You guys not only taught English and Math y’all taught life and I’m thankful for the lessons. I couldn’t get away with anything with either of you. I had an occasion to run into Mr. Lowe when my my Son was playing college basketball. Mr. Lowe was keeping stats for ECU and I don’t know how he was able to figure out it was my son playing other than the name. But he asked the coach...
Martin Abdullah
February 11, 2023 | Raleigh, NC | Student
John was a great teacher, coworker, substitute, and especially a great friend. I always enjoyed our conversations. He will certainly be missed. Nelda, my prayers will continue to be with you through this difficult time.
Tina and Jay Petty
February 10, 2023 | Grimesland, NC | Coworker
Mrs. Lowe, Mr Lowe was my math teacher in junior high and you were my English teacher in high school. Mr. Lowe made learning math and pre-algebra much easier because he was always patient and kind and would help any of us no matter how many times he had to explain it. He was a great teacher and a great person. He will be greatly missed. I pray for comfort for you and know we all loved you too.
Lauralea Barr
February 10, 2023 | Chocowinity, NC | Student
