When you teach from the heart, you infuse a bit of yours into those of all your students.  And Ollie Lowry managed to do just that.

She was born in 1926 in Laredo, TX, to Frank Randall and Ozema Gutierrez Nye, and grew up in a close-knit, multi-generational household with her parents and her two siblings Randall, Jr. and Lorraine.  She attended Laredo's Martin High School (named after her maternal great-grandparents) where her sunny personality and friendly demeanor earned her spots in glee club and the cheerleading squad.

After graduating from Incarnate Word College in San Antonio, she married the love of her life, Willis Edwards (Bill) Lowry III in 1949.  A move to Carrizo Springs for Bill's job found Ollie teaching first grade, unofficially conducting bi-lingual lessons under the playground's mesquite grove at recess.     Returning to Laredo in 1950, Ollie and her husband started their family, and before too long, Ollie resumed her work in education, teaching third grade at Ryan Elementary until the family moved to Illinois for Bill's job in 1966.  There her true gift of early childhood education blossomed, as she was persuaded to teach Kindergarten at Hanover Elementary.  As she pursued her Illinois teaching certification, she juggled the demands of family, continuing education and two dozen 5-year-olds without missing a beat.

In 1972 the family moved to New Braunfels, where they joined Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church.  Ollie became the Kindergarten teacher at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School, where she taught for over 15 years and was beloved by so many.  During this time, she also obtained her Master's Degree in Education from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos.  She had a passion and a gift for teaching, which was evident from the number of former students who would greet her with a big smile whenever they saw her around town, years after they had left her classroom.

She was a member of Laredo's Society of Martha Washington, and New Braunfels' Gay Forties club and Catholic Daughters.    She loved her family including her many cousins from Laredo, her Church, her work, and all the dear friends she and her husband made throughout their lives.  She brought sparkle wherever she went, and our lives are brighter for it.

She is survived by her four children, Linda Gerbode (Farrell) and Thomasine Pantazis (Nick) of Houston, Willis Lowry III (Juli) of Kingsville,  and  Albert Lowry (Diana) of Laredo.  Ollie was grandmother to six grandchildren (Farrell and Christine Gerbode, Wade and Whitley Lowry, and Adriana and Elise Pantazis) and six great grandchildren (Hudson, Owen, and Lauren Gerbode and Whitt, Dylan and Layne Lowry), and she was a beloved aunt to her sister Lorraine's children (Anita Averill , Randy and Chuck Fansler) and to her brother Randall's children (Al, Jimmy and Ray Nye and Nancy Comer), plus numerous members of her extended family, all of whom will miss her greatly.

A Graveside Service will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Friday, April 29, 2022, at Sts. Peter & Paul Cemetery Mausoleum in New Braunfels, Texas.