Services for longtime Clarendon attorney and civic leader William J. Lowe will be held June 21 at 10 a.m. in the First Baptist Church with Rev. Lance Wood officiating.
Lowe died at the age of 85 in Amarillo on Monday, June 21, 2012.
Services are under the arrangement of Robertson Funeral Directors, and internment will be in Clarendon’s Citizens Cemetery.
Lowe is remembered by his family and friends as a man of integrity and patience. He was a Christian gentleman, whose words were always wise and kind. He came from a generation of men whose commitment to his community and family are unparalleled in today’s world.
In about 1915, Lilac and Sam W. Lowe, moved from Goodnight to Clarendon, a town they considered a good place to live. Bill Lowe was born on June 20, 1926, and his family life was characterized by his parents’ love for each other and for him, following the loss of his two siblings. Bill graduated salutatorian of Clarendon High School, while simultaneously completing his college freshman courses.
He completed his freshman year of law school while still an undergraduate senior earning a degree in Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Texas. At the age of 22, he earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University. Bill returned to Clarendon awaiting a job with the IRS. In the summer of 1948, he married Clarendon native Helen Porter, his high school sweetheart.
Bill offered to help his father-in-law Judge Ralph Porter with his law practice the summer after he and Helen married. He always said that, “Somehow, he never left.” During his first year with Judge Porter, he earned $150 per month, and he remarked that he thought times could not be better. The Porters and the Lowes experienced many happy years in Clarendon, especially after the birth of Bill and Helen’s children, Cindy, Will, and Sam.
Bill had a distinguished history as civic leader, church leader, and attorney. Beginning in 1957, he served for eight years as the elected County Attorney of Donley County in addition to practicing law. He also served for 25 years as City Attorney for the City of Clarendon. He served eight years on the Amarillo Area Foundation, and was instrumental in establishing Greenbelt Water Authority and served as its general council and Board secretary continuously until the time of his death. He was a stockholder in The Donley County State Bank.
He was a member of the Lions Club in Clarendon for 63 years and had served as its President. As Executor of the Harned Sisters Memorial Endowment, Lowe facilitated the original financial foundation for the present Clarendon College campus. A strong supporter of the college, he served on the Clarendon College Foundation Board for many years.
A member of the First Baptist Church, Bill was a deacon and taught Sunday school for over 25 years. He served as Sunday School Superintendent for 20 years as well. Bill served on the Statewide Executive Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas for eight years. His life was characterized by his deep and mature faith as he walked with Christ.
Bill practiced law in Clarendon for more than 63 years. Many of his clients were the third generation of the original families. For more than 50 years, he has held the highest legal and professional rating awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, a highly regarded legal directory. He served for a number of years as president of the 100th Judicial District Bar Association. In 1989, Bill was nominated and accepted as a Fellow in the prestigious Texas Bar Association. In all of his work and civic life, he strived to perfect every project he undertook.
His busy life included many other interests as well. He owned land and operated several irrigated farms. As a hobbyist, he made clocks; collected Western art, Tiffany antique belt buckles, gemstones, barbed wire, and arrowheads; and, most recently, designed cactus gardens.
Following the death of his wife, Helen, he married Lynn Blackburn Lowe in 2006. Each of them had three children, all of whom were extremely compatible.
Lowe was preceded in death by his wife, Helen; a brother, George; a sister, Sammie Jo; and a son, William Douglas Lowe.
He is survived by his wife, Lynn; a daughter, Cindy Barnett and husband Ben of Dallas; two sons, Will Lowe and wife Sandy of Houston, and Sam Lowe of Amarillo; and three grandchildren, Callie, Lila, and Emory Lowe
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Wednesday evening, June 20, from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
The family suggests memorials be to the First Baptist Church, PO Box 944, Clarendon, Texas 79226.
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