Obituaries
Donald A. Lowry age 93, an avid golfer finished the great round of life on January 19th, 2023. Don was the youngest born to an Iowa farm family of 7 children. He was raised in Peoria, Illinois where he was an all-star athlete in baseball and football at Spalding Academy. His accomplishments on the field were frequently celebrated in local newspapers. Don received an invitation from Phil Wrigley to try out for the Chicago Cubs. He chose to marry his high school sweetheart, Gerardine (Gerry) Crahan and moved to Des Moines, Iowa to start a family where Don played semi-professional football.
Don and Gerry’s five children are Diane (Overland Park, KS), Christine (New York City), Pat (Carrollton, TX), Mike (Carrollton, TX) and Marietta (Coppell, TX). Don’s grandchildren include Jimmy, Katie, Linda (Diane’s children), Patrick (Chris’ child), Danny, Colleen, Matt (Pat’s children), Madeline (Mike’s child), Mychal and Cameron (Marietta’s children). To date, Don has 10 great-grandchildren. Don’s highly successful career as an insurance salesman and sales manager of 35 years was with Bankers Life and Casualty. With his success came several relocations including Minneapolis, Buffalo and Albany New York, Grand Rapids Michigan, Kansas City and finally Dallas Texas as Executive Vice President.
Don retired in Dallas where he refined his golf game as a long-time member of Las Colinas Country Club. Don won numerous club championships as well as several La Buena Bola tournaments and mixed championships with Gerry. He was proud of his 17 Holes in One in addition to many rounds of golf with dozens of notable sports celebrities including Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Micky Mantle to name just a few. Don loved telling stories about his adventures on golf courses all over the world. Don lost his beloved wife Gerry of 52 years in 2000 to Alzheimer’s. While playing golf with friends in Rancho Viejo, TX he met and married Beverly Bennett. Don and Beverly made their home on the golf course in Rancho. Beverly passed away due to cancer complications in 2018.
Memorial Mass will be at 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Kickapoo, IL, with a half hour prior visitation. Don’s final resting place will be with his loving mother and father at St. Joseph’s Catholic cemetery in West 2/13/1929Peoria, Illinois.
Friends and family may view full obituary and sign the online guestbook by logging onto www.wrightandsalmon.com
Upcoming Events
Visitation
3
Jun
9910 W Knox St.
Kickapoo, IL 61528
Memorial Service
3
Jun
9910 W Knox St.
Kickapoo, IL 61528
Cemetery Details
Location
2105 W. Heading Ave.
West Peoria, IL 61604
