Kenneth W. "Wayne" Lowe

Kenneth Wayne Lowe passed away of natural causes on December 31, 2016 in Clancy Montana at the age of 88. Wayne was the son of Virgil and Urena Lowe and was born in Williston ND, January 2, 1928. He was the fourth of six children. In 1929, Wayne’s family moved from Williston to Eastern MT where the family ran a dairy farm. He was educated in the Poplar MT school system and joined the navy in 1947. He was stationed in Attu Alaska during World War II. In 1949 he married June McKay from Stevensville and they settled in the Missoula area. They were married for 35 years and spent their lives together in their home/cabin they built on Placid Lake.
Wayne spent his early years riding bucking horses at local rodeos. After being encouraged by his wife to find a less risky career, he worked for the MT laborers union, spent time working with missile sites, and eventually landed in the construction field. Over the next thirty years, he spent his career building bridges, sidewalks, and highways throughout Montana. When he wasn’t working, he spent his time entertaining family and friends at the lake, pulling water-skiers in the summer and blazing the snowmobile trails in the winter, leaving many wonderful memories for many. After June passed away in 1984, Wayne retired a few years later and spent his free time volunteering to operate the snow groomer for snowmobile and cross country trails around Seeley Lane and Swan Valley.
In 1990 he met May McDonald and they spent nearly 10 years together. They enjoyed traveling to Alaska and Kentucky and would make and sell crafts while on the road. After May passed away in 1999, Wayne remained single and continued traveling to Alaska to fish for halibut and salmon.
Wayne was known for his ability to fix anything and parts needed for the job could frequently be found around his house or garage. He loved the outdoors and spent much of his time hunting, fishing, gathering firewood, and helping his friends and family. He loved to tell stories and it was not uncommon to see a group gathered to hear a treasured story. His special place was his home and porch that overlooks the lake. He loved it so much that in 2013 he refused to leave during a mandatory fire evacuation and sat on the porch with fire crews as the helicopter scooped water from the lake, only feet from his dock, to extinguish the fire burning less than 1 mile away from his home.
He was most proud of his family origin. The Lowe Family had immigrated to American in mid 1600s. Wayne was a member of the 12th generation of the family in America. The family had originally settled in Massachusetts. Wayne’s grandfather Frank Lowe came to ND to Homestead in 1917, and many of his family remained near the area most of their lives. During his time living in Montana City and Clancy, he shared his book of family origin with family, friends, and staff at the assisted living and nursing home.
Wayne is preceded in death by his parents Virgil and Urena, wife June McKay, special friend May, his sister Mary Lowe (Fred) Roedeske, brothers: Clayton (Mary), Melvin (Alice), Lloyd (Ann), Robert (Lynne) , and nephew Bob Seger (Judy Dempsey). He is survived by many nieces and nephews and friends who will miss him very much.
The family would like to extend special thanks to Frontier Hospice team and staff at Country Life Assisted Living and Elkhorn Nursing Facility. Condolences can be made to Garden City Funeral Home.