Helen Frances Irwin Lowe, devoted wife, mother and grandmother passed away February 24, 2011. A memorial service is set for 2:00 p.m. Sunday, February 27, 2011 at First United Methodist Church in Bryan, Texas. She was born September 10, 1922 to Lena Snively and Leonidas Irwin in Electra Texas. She grew up in Clyde Texas and attended school in Mart, Texas where she met Robert Bascom Lowe. She and Robert were married on February 9, 1941 by Reverend Alcie Carleton. They were married for 69 years. She used to say she was still not sure it would work out, but their love and faith left a legacy for the family.

She led a life of service as the wife of a Methodist minister throughout her lifetime. While her life could be summed in her acts of kindness and tender care for those around her, her most precious acts were her devotion to her family, church and community. In her quiet way, she stood steadfast, serving her faith and her community. She taught four-year-olds Sunday school in the Methodist Church for over 40 years, while her husband tended to the needs of the parishioners. She served as a bell ringer with the Salvation Army each Christmas whether there was rain or snow. She served bread to the poor, fed those that needed feeding, and never asked anything in return. She served as a cafeteria worker, feeding the children that passed through her line, making sure they had the nutrition to help them through the day. She was an avid seamstress – making choir gowns for those that did not have them, clothes for those that did not ask, and blankets for many children being born that would not have one otherwise. As she and her husband traveled from church to church, they touched the lives of those through acts of kindness, prayer and service.

To her family, she was inspiration and motivation. She was the entertainer and had quiet a sense of humor. There was always a fishing pole to play with, bugs to catch with a homemade net, a bucket to paint the fence, and an animal shaped pancake to make on the stove. For her children, she was the strength of commitment, endurance and the belief that all things were possible with love.

She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Mae Ault and Maurine Cook and brother Eli Irwin. She is survived by her daughter, Sylvia and son-in-law Ulman McMullen and her son, Tim, and daughter-in-law, Anne Lowe. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Lori Hawkins, Sara McMullen and Cynthia McMullen. Also surviving her are brother-in-law Philip Lowe and numerous nieces and nephews.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see the Lord”.

She will be dearly missed. The lives she has touched will always be enriched by her memory. She was our Granny.

—Lori Hawkins, Granddaughter

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hospice Brazos Valley, 502 W. 26th St. Bryan, TX 77803.