John Robert Lowey
Marriages
Carolyn Kelley - 1967
Gail Howell - 1979
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5A Death Notice - November 18, 2017
John R. Lowey, 72, Grand Junction, died Nov. 15, 2017, in Grand Junction. Services will be at 10 a.m. Nov. 27 at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado. He was the executive director of Wine Promotion of Colorado. Survivors include three daughters, Katie Coleman of Grand Junction, Libby Lowey of Windsor and Suzie Nasol of Oakland, California; one brother, Robert Lowey of Albuquerque, New Mexico; one sister, Beth Ward of Athens, Ohio; and three grandchildren.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D Obituary - November 26, 2017
John Robert Lowey November 23, 1944 - November 15, 2017
John Lowey, of Grand Junction, CO passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 15, 2017. John was born on November 23, 1944, to Francis John Lowey and Ruth Margaret Robertson Lowey in Cleveland, OH. He was raised in the Cleveland, OH area where he graduated from Rocky River High School in 1962. He continued onto Kenyon College, when it was still a private men’s college. John was a collegiate football player and wrestler. He was in the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and graduated with honors with an Economics degree. He went on to marry Carolyn Kelley in 1967, with whom he had two children, Mike and Suzie. John joined the Marines in 1968 and was deployed to Vietnam in 1969. John led a rifle platoon of 46 and was a Captain Company Executive Officer. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Navy Commendation for his service in the Vietnam War. John married Gail Howell in 1979, and graduated from Texas Tech University with an MBA. John and Gail had two daughters, Katie and Libby. John became the President of Llano Estacado Winery, in Lubbock, TX. He was able to grow the then “experimental” winery from 20,000 gallons to 250,000 gallons of wine, winning a double gold medal in the 1986 San Francisco Wine Competition, and subsequently, the wine was served to the US President and the Pope. In 1988, John was instrumental in starting the Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech University, which collects and preserves records of the Vietnam War and provides an educational opportunity to learn about the Vietnam War experience. In 1994, John and his family relocated to Grand Junction when he accepted a newly created position, Executive Director of Wine Promotion for the State of Colorado where he helped found the Colorado Mountain Wine Fest. He was an avid fly fisherman, hunter and expert marksman. He enjoyed raising German Shorthaired Pointers and camping. John is survived by his daughters, Susan Nasol (Ramon) of Oakland, CA; Katie Coleman (John) of Grand Junction, CO, and Libby Lowey of Windsor, CO; sister, Beth Ward of Athens, OH; brother, Bob Lowey of Albuquerque, NM; two ex-wives, Gail Lowey of Grand Junction, CO and Carolyn Gopalan of Sacramento, CA; three grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by both of his parents, and his son, Mike Lowey. Arrangements are under the care and direction of Brown’s Cremation & Funeral Service. A military funeral will be held on Monday, November 27, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Grand Junction.