Gerald Halbert Lowther

Gerald Halbert Lowther February 18, 1924 ~ August 15, 2014

Gerald Halbert Lowther died peacefully on August 15, 2014 at the age of 90 in Burbank, Calif. A well-known attorney in Springfield, Missouri for most of his professional life, he co-founded the law firm of Lowther Johnson.

Jerry was born in Slagle, La. on Feb. 18, 1924 to Fred and Beatrice (nee Halbert) Lowther. He was a gifted athlete in both basketball and baseball. A member of the Lebanon High School Hall of Fame, he played basketball at Missouri State University where he started as a freshman. After transferring to Pepperdine College in Los Angeles, he starred as a two sport athlete in basketball and baseball. A high-scoring guard, he led his team to third in the nation -- the finest basketball team that Pepperdine has ever produced. Offered professional contracts for both basketball and baseball, he played for the Brooklyn Dodger organization before starting law school. Jerry maintained a life-long interest in sports including officiating. He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Officials Hall of Fame for his basketball officiating.

Jerry graduated from the University of Missouri law school and then began a legal practice that spanned more than fifty years. He was a member of the American Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, The Defense Research Institute, and the International Association of Insurance Counsel. He served for many years on the board of what is now CoxHealth and as its president, led the building of Cox Medical Center South. Jerry also served as president of the Ozark Regional Heart Association, the Southwest Missouri Officials Association, the Southside Kiwanis Club and numerous other civic groups.

He served as a director of numerous banks and insurance companies. He was a former member of the Missouri State Savings and Loan Commission and Missouri Industrial Development Corporation. He was treasurer of the Democratic Party of Missouri, a key advisor to Governor Warren E. Hearnes and a two-time delegate to national Democratic conventions. He was named to the Academy of Missouri Squires in honor of his service to the state of Missouri.

An inveterate traveler, Lowther visited more than eighty countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa. In recent years, he was involved in entertainment ventures in Branson before living his final years in southern California. Lowther is survived by his wife, Debra; stepson, Nicholas and four children, Teresa Roberts of Granger, Ind.; Craig Lowther of Springfield, Mo.; Natalie Wolfe of Mission Hills, Kan.; and Lisa Gordon of Frisco, Texas. He is also survived by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Cremation has taken place and his ashes are being returned to his beloved Missouri Ozarks. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 6th at 11a.m. at Snapp-Bearden Funeral Home in Branson, Mo.