Helen E. Lowery

Helen E. Lowery, 86, died Oct. 29, 2010, with her family by her side.

She was born June 18, 1924, in Jersey City, N.J., to Mary Ellen (Mae) Kelly and Charles Eschenbrenner.

On Sept. 23, 1941, she became the World War II bride of John W. “Jack” Lowery, who served overseas in the Army Air Corps. In 1951 they moved from New Jersey to Burnet, where he was vice president and general manager of the Southwestern Graphite Co.

She was a devout Catholic, serving as church historian, office secretary and as a member of the Altar Society for Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church in Burnet.

She served as an election judge for Burnet County and volunteered her time for LACare. She loved to garden, dance, sew, golf, play bridge and took up painting later in life.

For more than 40 years she spent Monday afternoons with a special group of friends playing cards and sharing laughter. She cherished those days.

Survivors include daughters Lorraine Haby and husband Jack of Kerrville, Mary Ellen Fariss and husband Craig of Burnet, and Trudy Hawthorne and husband Kelly of Liberty Hill; son John W. Lowery Jr. and wife Emilia of Miami; granddaughters Cathy Kuehne and husband Mike of Lampasas, Meredith Hart and husband Wesley of Georgetown, and Kate Hawthorne of Leander; grandsons Bobby Jack Haby of Austin and Matt Hawthorne of San Angelo; great-grandchildren Josh and Lindsey Kuehne, and Payton and Sadie Hart; brother Bill Eschenbrenner of Tom’s River, N.J.; sister Kay Purvin of Seaside Park, N.J.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband; mother; father; brothers Charles, Eugene and Joseph; and sisters Mary, Margaret, Dorothy, Geraldine and Marion.

Visitation is 6 p.m. Nov. 2 at Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home, 306 Texas 29 in Burnet, (512) 756-2222, with a rosary recited at 7 p.m.

A funeral service is 10 a.m. Nov. 3 at Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church.  Interment will follow at Lakeland Hills Memorial Park.

Pallbearers include Jack Haby, Craig Fariss, Kelly Hawthorne, Bobby Jack Haby, Matt Hawthorne and Josh Kuehne. Honorary pallbearers include Ramsey Clinton, John Cox, Gene Eddings, Ted Everett, Ray Frady, Alvin Nored, Dr. John Sandner and Robert Wilkin.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Herman Brown Free Library, 100 E. Washington, Burnet, TX 78611; Catholic Charities of Central Texas at www.ccctx.org; or a charity of choice.

The family would like to thank all the doctors, nurses and staff at Seton Highland Lakes Hospital in Burnet and Cornerstone Hospital in Austin.

Condolences may be offered and a register book signed at www.clementswilcoxburnet.com.