Lowry, Steven Thomas
Steven Thomas Lowry was born on June 23, 1952, and died on November 5, 2024, due to complications from a heart attack. He was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Christine Lowry, and a close nephew, Harold Meadows.
He is survived by his sweetie of 27 years, Sharon Buckland; his daughter, Cheryl Lowry Kula; son-in-law Ted Kula; his bonus daughter, Kristy Buckland; and granddaughters, Lieschen Kula and Lillian Kula. He is also survived by his brother, Nelson Lowry, and his wife, Cora of Nevada; his sister, Bernie Backus, and her husband Ben of Elkins, WV; and his sister Joyce Hockenberry of Daniels, WV.
As a young man, Steve did a stint in the Army National Guard. From this experience, he adopted the phrase, don’t come in here half-stepping, as a way to push people to work to their 100% potential.
After serving in the Guard, he became a heavy equipment operator for forty-plus years. Steve was a lifelong and very proud member of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 132. He found great pleasure in having taken part in the construction of roads in West Virginia, including I64 from the Meadow Bridge exit to the Bragg exit, plus Virginia, Pennsylvania, including the Pittsburgh Airport landing strips, and Ohio. It was during these road projects that Steve and Sharon became friends. Extremely skilled, he often played a game with grade checkers to determine the grade of a road, often able to eyeball a road and guess to the inch how much further he needed to dig with his grader to meet the grade requirement. Near the end of his career, he became a trainer of other operators at the training site in Ravenswood, WV.
Steve grew up and spent most of his adult life in the community of Buck, where he spent time with his favorite uncles, Vernon and Amos Lowry, and many, many cousins. With family and friends, he would hunt deer, squirrels, and rabbits. For a few years, he also raised pedigree beagles, which were used as rabbit hunters. He believed that the best smell in the world was the milk breath of a speckled pup.
Steve was also a beef farmer for more than twenty years, raising both black Angus and Charolais beef cattle. When not on road projects, he built fences and cleared brush, also helping to build a couple of barns for his family and others. Much like building roads, he expressed pleasure at seeing a well-maintained farm at the end of the day. He learned basic veterinary skills and helped family members on their farms with castrations, baby calf deliveries, and basic medical treatments.
After retirement, he settled in Dry Pond in Monroe County with Sharon. He stayed in touch with family and friends with weekly phone calls, sometimes more often. He loved a good story. He was very proud of his family, celebrating their successes.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Trades Pathway Scholarship, managed by the Hinton Area Foundation, PO Box 217, Hinton, WV. This scholarship is given to students pursuing vocational careers rather than college.
Pallbearers include Ranny Cline, Barry Dixon, Charlie Cox, Jesse Willey, Jamie Wickline, and Warren Thornton. Honorary pallbearers are Pete Lowry, Doug Lowry, and Dayton Lowry.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday, November 9, at 11:00am at the Huffman Cemetery in Buck, WV. Immediately after the service, all friends and family are asked to enjoy lunch at the Little Wolf Creek Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, where we will look at old pictures and share stories about Steve’s life.
Online guestbook can be signed or condolences may be sent to the family at www.broyles-shrewsbury.com. Arrangements by Broyles-Shrewsbury Funeral Home, Peterstown, WV.
