Joseph Lowery, Jr.

On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, Joseph Lowery Jr., our Veteran, loving father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and friend passed peacefully away at Hoyt Nursing and Rehab Center after a brief illness. Joseph Lowery Jr. was born December 10, 1947, in Elmore County, Alabama; the fourth of ten children to Hollis and Mary Lowery. He was educated in the Luverne School System and graduated from Sandtown High School in Millbrook, Alabama.

In 1966, Joe relocated to Saginaw, Michigan, where he worked at Genwright & Lowery Gulf & Service Station. The following year, he was drafted into the United States Army to serve in the Vietnam War. Stationed in Frankfurt, Germany, Joe served Turret Artillery Repairman, working on tanks until his honorable discharge in 1970 with the Rank of E4.

After his military service, Joe returned to Saginaw and began building a legacy alongside the love of his life, Leah. He accepted Christ at an early age and later united with Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. Joe was employed by Saginaw Steering Gear (later acquired by Delphi) for 33 ½ years. He excelled in the Tool Maker Apprentice Program at Delta College, where he opened doors by becoming the 1st Black Tool & Die Maker in the program. He retired from General Motors in 1999.

Joe met Leah Mae Moore in 1966 at his Aunt Stella’s home. After a long and loving courtship, they married on April 17, 1971, at Shiloh Baptist Church in Carrollton, Michigan. Their devoted marriage spanned over 50 years and was blessed with two children: a loving and devoted daughter, Marla Lynn “Molly,” and devoted and dutiful son, Joseph III “Joey, Buddy, and Pup.”

Affectionately known as “Jose and Blood,” Joe had a deep passion for gardening, fishing, bowling, and Friday strolls to the Jingle Bell. He was a loyal fan of the Detroit Pistons and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Joe adored spending time with his granddaughter, MaLeah “Tiny,” and listening to Old School Blues music - a love he passed on to Joey. He also treasured time with the Thompson children whenever they came to town for a visit. He helped fill the void of the loss of their father, Oliver (Tom), by continuing traditions of fishing and Friday outings that spanned over five decades.

Joe was preceded in death by his loving wife Leah; parents, Hollis and Mary Lowery; sisters Zella Mae (Kenner) Edwards, Ester D. (Robert) Paige, Lula B. Lowery; brothers Willie (Irene) Palmore, Jimmy (Evelyn) Lowery, and Tyrone Lowery; sisters-in-law Rosetta Moore, Grace Helen Moore, and Vera Williams; brothers-in-law James Knight, James Wilson, Eugene Hudson, and Donald Ray Moore; special uncles, Abraham Cotton and Neil Lowery; and dear friends Oliver Thompson, Lonza Simpson, and John Murry.

Joe leaves behind a legacy of love to cherish his memory 3 children, Anthony Lamar Pasley (Birmingham, AL), Marla Lynn Lowery, (Davenport, FL), Joseph Lowery III, (Saginaw, MI) 4 granddaughters, Gloria Leigh (Rodricas) Brown, Angelia Paradise Pasley, Cherish Pasley (all of Birmingham, AL), MaLeah Sharelle Joell (Davenport, FL), 5 grandsons, Nicolas Jamal Clark, Anthony De’Marcus Pasley, Kristopher Lamar Pasley, Joseph Pasley, and Joshua Pasley (all of Birmingham, AL); 19 great-grandchildren; siblings, Mary Hudson, Dorothy Knight and Cornelia (Roy) Lowery (all of Montgomery, AL), Godchildren: Maeria Danielle (DeMarkus) Taylor (Douglasville, GA), John H. Murry Jr. (Nashville, TN)

Joe is also survived by his beloved mother-in-law, Katie Moore (Saginaw, MI), and cherished in-laws: James (Jean) Moore, Connie (Leroy) Chatman, Charolett Stuckey (all of Saginaw, MI), Arthur (Cynthia) Moore III (Beverly Hills, MI), and Donald (Karen) Moore (Detroit, MI).

He will be fondly remembered by special cousins, brothers-in-law, and lifelong friends: Lowery Genwright, James Moore, Leroy Chatman, Arthur Moore III, Donald Moore, Bobby Toole and Joe Bady, along with a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.