John Robert Lowry

John Robert Lowry passed to his eternal home on Tuesday July 25, 2023 after a long illness. Loving husband of Linda Simms Lowry; adored father of daughters, Tracy (David) Darlington, and Tonya (Eddy) Kappes; adored grandfather of Jack, Benjamin, Madeline, Austin, Brady and Cody; John Robert was the son of the late Elbert and Mamie Puckett Lowry, and the brother of Eva McDaniel, husband James, Ann Bedson, and the and brother-in-law of Ann Lowry and Sally Lowry.  He was preceded in death by  brothers Martin, Ray and Coleman Lowry and sisters Dorothy Godbey and Mary Jean Ritchie.

John Robert knew how to build a successful life by bringing people together and building a sense of community.

From the Nicholasville elementary school yard while living on the town branch, to management at IBM, to running his own construction company.  He was a member of Brookside Baptist Church, served as a Nicholasville City Commissioner, an active member of the Jessamine JayCees, one of the founding members of Lone Oak Country Club, received a key to the City and was honored as a Kentucky Colonel.

As a young boy John Robert ran all over Nicholasville gathering his friends to have a good time. Maybe giving the local law enforcement something to do on Saturday night or being scolded by Mamie. He met his wife of 57 years Linda Simms on a blind date after cat calling her only days before as she walked down Main Street. They had two girls, Tracy and Tonya whom he adored.  He connected easily with others and while working nights at IBM, he began watching Days of Our Lives to have something to discuss with the women on his shift. An active residential builder, his reach extended far and wide while building communities in Nicholasville through neighborhood development while also moving his family eleven times within the city boundaries.

Exhausted yet? Not John Robert. His life included many fun times and vacations with best friends Donald and Betty Goodlett with trips out west and seeing the country. He loved his “girls” and his family and friends.

It was important to teach Tracy and Tonya unconditional love by supporting and attending every activity- from cheerleading for the Devils football team to swimming to college sorority functions. As an amazing girl dad he was teaching his girls how to build a community by example and always letting them know how much they were loved.   With his daughters and six grandchildren living two hours away, he would burn up I-75 three to four nights a week attending every single school event that involved the grandchildren and became known as Grandaddy to all of the grandchildren’s friends and family.  And as we gather around today, look around. Even in death he has brought us together as a community. John Robert was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend – he will be missed by all that knew and loved him.

Family will greet friends on Friday July 28, 2023 beginning at 10 am with a service to be held at 2pm at Hager & Cundiff  Funeral home with Pastor Brian Burkhead officiating. He will be laid to rest at Maple Grove Cemetery with Jack Keller, Benjamin Darlington, Madeline Darlington, Austin Kappes, Brady Kappes and Cody Kappes as pall bearers. Honorary bearers will be Michael Godbey, Billy Thompson, Billy Poor and Stanley Burgin. The family requests donations in his memory be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

This obituary was lovingly submitted by the Lowry Family.

Hager & Cundiff values nothing more than the loyalty and trust given to us to care for John Robert and his family.