Mrs. Ella Lee Lowrey's Obituary
Ella Lee Freed Lowrey passed away peacefully on July 19, 2018 surrounded by her family.
She was born in Center Point, now part of Hendersonville, on August 23, 1922, and lived through the Depression on her family’s farm, spending summers in Dixon Springs with her grandmother. She attended Gallatin High School where she was classmates with her future husband, Richard Lowrey, then attended David Lipscomb and Harding College, and was awarded her degree from Peabody College, now part of Vanderbilt University. Following graduation, she was a social worker in Memphis. She married Richard Owen Lowrey in 1950 and moved with him to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Fort Worth, Texas and ultimately Atlanta, Georgia where she raised her three daughters, Laura Ann, Loretta and Haynie (Trixie).
She was the center of gravity for family and friends, attracting friends of all ages throughout her life by her caring, thoughtful attention to each person as an individual. She was the unofficial family historian, remembering details of people, places and events that could fill a volume. From her days as a girl in Center Point to her later years in the unlikely town of Madison, CT, she was a magnet of friendliness and caring to old and new friends. Entertaining visitors was one of her greatest joys and her hospitality was renowned for the duration of her life. Almost without exception, everyone she met was affected by her unassuming kindness and generosity. She seemed not to realize that she was an exemplary human being and this blind spot was one of her most endearing characteristics.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Owen Lowrey, daughter Dr. Laura Ann Lowrey Lancaster, parents Ella Lee DeBow Freed and John Walter Freed, brothers Walter Freed (Mary Frances), John E. Freed (Rosetta), sisters Edith Freed, Elizabeth Freed Griffin (Will Ed), Laura E. Freed and Adrian Jacobs (Eli). She is survived by her brother Dr. DeBow Freed (Catherine), her daughter Loretta (Hakki) and her children Eliza and Mark, and Haynie and her children Gwendolyn and Owen, four nieces, two nephews and several great nieces and nephews.
Her funeral service will be held at the Spring Hill Funeral Home on Monday, July 23. Visitation at 9:30, service at 11:00, followed by interment. All are welcome.
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