Mary Evelyn Lowe

The family of Mary Evelyn Lowe is saddened to announce the passing of their dear mother, grandmother, and great grandmother on August 17, 2025 at the age of 93 after succumbing to the challenges of Dementia over the past several years. She was lovingly cared for at the Homestead of Osceola's Memory Care unit for the past 4 1/2 years after suffering a fractured arm at home in Chariton. We have no doubt that she has been reunited with her loving husband Ernie, and so many others who have gone before her.

Evelyn, as she preferred to be called, besides "Mom" or "Gramma Evelyn", and going by Mary through-out her teaching career, as "Evie" in high school, "Teddy" in college and sometimes "Seniorita Lowe" as the CHS Spanish teacher, was born on March 12, 1932 on the family farm near Brooks, Iowa, just south of Corning, the youngest child of Nola Mae (Johnson) and Edward Franklin Kempton. She graduated from Corning High School in 1950 after attending country school up through the 8th grade at the Somerset School, (Jasper #6), where she walked the 1 ¼ miles of country roads with the neighbors and some cousins every day to get to school.

At the age of 12, her father died as a result of a tragic farming accident, and her older brother died while she was a senior in high school. The small family made ends meet and eventually sold the farm and moved into town (Corning). She graduated from the Iowa State Teacher's College (now the University of Northern Iowa) in 1954 with her BA in English. There, she was involved with the Library Students Association, being their Vice President her senior year, Film Club, IFTA (Iowa Future Teachers Association), and of course, Foreign Language Club. Her first teaching assignment was in Keokuk, Iowa, teaching high school English for two years. While in Keokuk, her beloved half-niece (but like a sister) Rosemary had convinced her to accept a pen pal correspondence with an army sergeant also from Iowa and a good friend of her boyfriend, both currently stationed in Japan. That army sergeant was Ernest Lee Lowe, from Derby, Iowa. They started a correspondence, and after a short time and while he was home on leave, they married in the Methodist Church in Corning on January 13, 1957. Then, upon his return to the states, with his new assignment to Ft. Riley in Junction City, Kansas, they made their home where their daughters Debra Lynn and Carol Ann were born. The young family then returned to Iowa in 1961 and made their home in Chariton where Ernie began working for Halferty Builders, and Evelyn was hired by the Chariton Community School District to replace a recently retired high school Spanish teacher. Evelyn taught Spanish 1, 2, 3 and 4 as well as Latin 1, 2, 3, and 4 for the next 35+ years, retiring in 1997, and then substituted part time for a few years. She fully engaged herself into this teaching time of her life. Teaching was her passion and it came to her naturally. She sponsored Latin Banquets with students in full costume, sponsored dinner trips to Des Moines for Mexican food meals, and chaperoned Spanish students on trips to Mexico. She was also the Y-Teen sponsor, the largest and very active girls club, and along the way, she continued to take continuing education courses to complement her teaching career as much as possible. Her classroom was decorated with many foreign souvenirs, posters and games from the over the years, and also had a small audio corner set up to help expand and encourage the students to help learn the languages. She was even speaking Spanish at home, and was excellent at rolling her "r's"!!

Evelyn, as busy as she was with school "things", kept a happy home. This included not only keeping up with the girls' activities, but caring for her mother and mother-in-law over the years. Her mother lived with the family for 10 years as the girls grew up before she eventually was moved to a care facility in Corning. Her mother-in-law lived with them for a short time before moving into the Chariton nursing home. Evelyn also helped Ernie some over the years with the home renovations that he had initiated in turning the old Olsen's Grocery store into their family home.

Evelyn also kept busy during the summer breaks from teaching with the family garden, and canning and freezing the produce to be enjoyed later. Tomatoes, green beans, sweet corn, strawberries, grapes, rhubarb, making jams, juice, pickles, it was endless some summers. She also did a lot of sewing, helping to teach the girls. Ernie set up a dedicated space in the house and it was convenient for her and the girls to use it, helping them with their projects. And if there was any spare time left, Evelyn loved to read. And the house full of books is proof of that. Her mother would read the same books along with her as she was studying them in her college courses, and her daughter learned their value as well.

Evelyn and Ernie enjoyed square dancing on Friday nights at the Legion Hall in Chariton, and socialized with friends playing cards and going camping. The family went on many summer camping trips when the girls were young, discovering several of the Iowa state parks as well as trips to South Dakota, Oregon, Wisconsin and Missouri, sometimes with friends and neighbors. They also ventured out to visit Debbie to explore the different places she was living: OK, NY, TX and NM. They bought a camping spot at the Iowa State Fair many years ago, it is still in use by Carol's family. After Ernie's passing in 2000, she went on a couple of cruises, and has traveled out to Montana to visit Larry and Kathy. She enjoyed going to the Soda Pop Saloon on Saturday nights, and playing Bingo at the Sr. Center. She was active in UMW (United Methodist Women) Martha Circle, and Lucas County Retired School Personnel.

Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents, husband Ernie, older brothers, an unnamed stillborn boy and Sanford Franklin, half-brother Clyde Kempton, half-sisters Elsie Reichardt, Hazel Russell and Lucille Brokaw, and son-in-law Anthony Pasquariello. She is survived by her daughters Debra Lynn Lowe-Pasquariello and Carol Ann (Don) Morrison, grand-children Jeff (Amanda) Morrison and Cullen (Jazmin) Morrison, step grand-children Nicole (Justin) Pasquariello-Padilla of Santa Fe and Blaise (Rori) Pasquariello of Denver, great grand-children Breckin Morrison, Chase Morrison, and twins Rhea and Luna Morrison, step great grand-children Laila and Mila Padilla, and Zayn Pasquariello, special nephew Larry (Kathy) Lowe of Conner, Montana, and many other nieces and nephews, and half nieces, nephews and cousins.

Evelyn's family deeply thanks those at Homestead of Osceola's Memory Care Unit and St. Croix Hospice for their unending and unwavering care, respect and dignity that they gave her every day. Evelyn has been entrusted to Pierschbacher Funeral Home in Chariton.

Funeral services will be held Friday, August 22, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the Pierschbacher Funeral Home in Chariton. Family will receive friends prior to the service beginning at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be considered for Evelyn to the Chariton Public Library and / or Pin Oak Marsh.

"Mothers hold their children's hands for a while… their hearts forever."