Barbara Anne Love Lowe

Mrs. Barbara Anne (Love) Lowe of Westfield, Stokes County, N.C., the beloved wife of Ansley Wayne Lowe and devoted mother to two sons, Kenneth and Bruce, died peacefully Monday, March 17 at her home surrounded by her family. She was 95. Mrs. Lowe was known for a lifetime of giving and caring for others, her strong and abiding faith and her devotion to family. She also is remembered for her many accomplishments in the local business community, first as a country doctor’s trusted assistant, bookkeeper and office manager, and then as a successful local banker. Mrs. Lowe was a member of the Westfield Baptist Church, where she served as church treasurer, a choir member, and on numerous committees. Born May 31, 1929, to Lawrence Franklin Love and Jetty Bertha Haymore Love, Mrs. Lowe was the youngest of seven children and just one of two girls. She was raised on the Haymore family’s ancestral farm just west of Mount Airy. She attended elementary school at Sheltontown School and graduated from high school in Flat Rock. In 1945 she met her husband of 73 years, Ansley Wayne Lowe, who everyone knew as Wayne. The couple met on a blind date and were married within the year. Barbara and Wayne had two sons, Kenneth Wayne Lowe and Bruce Allen Lowe. Both her sons went on to successful business careers. Kenneth is the founder of Home & Garden Television (HGTV) and former CEO of HGTV’s parent company, Scripps Networks Interactive. Bruce was a senior sales executive for 3M. Bruce tragically died of a sudden heart attack in 2004 at the age of 48. In 1957, Mrs. Lowe was hired as office manager and bookkeeper for Stokes County physician, Dr. Gerald Brown. She worked for Dr. Brown for 11 years, serving as his lab and x-ray technician, managing the office’s apothecary, keeping the doctor’s schedule, and tending to the doctor’s financial records. After Dr. Brown’s retirement in 1968, Mrs. Lowe began a 39-year career in banking, starting as an associate teller at the Bank of Mount Pilot. As the bank changed hands through a series of mergers over the years, Mrs. Lowe rose through the ranks serving as branch manager and completing her career as the local RBC bank branch’s manager of customer relations. She retired from the bank in 2007. Among her duties was the oversight of the bank’s popular Esteem Club, a promotion that rewarded the bank’s most valued customers. Mrs. Lowe was a lifelong member and leader at Westfield Baptist Church. She served as the church’s treasurer, sang in the choir, was long active in the church’s women’s groups, and volunteered to teach Sunday school and help with vacation bible schools. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe also enjoyed spending time at their house on nearby Groundhog Mountain where they made many lifelong friends. Mrs. Lowe is preceded in death by her husband, Wayne, who passed away in 2018, and her son, Bruce, who passed away in 2004. Also preceding her in death are her parents, her sister, Bessie Love Anderson, and brothers, Lester, Howard, Charlie, Ellis, and Kolmer Love. Mrs. Lowe is survived by her son, Kenneth W. Lowe and his wife, Julia, of Sea Island, Ga; a grandson, Brandon Allen Lowe and his wife, Tricia, of Westfield; her daughter-in-law, Teresa Ashbaugh Lowe of Beaufort, S.C.; a step-grandson, Michael Rentz and his wife, Jennifer of Beaufort, S.C.; a step-granddaughter, Tracy Rentz and her husband, Paul Robins of Columbia, S.C.; two great-step-grandchildren, Michael and Tyler Rentz of Beaufort, S.C.; her sister-in-law, Barbara Jean McMillan of Pilot Mountain; and several nieces and nephews. A celebration of Mrs. Lowe’s life will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, March 21, at Westfield Baptist Church. Minister and family friend Dale Riddle and Pastor Blake Bowman will officiate. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday at Westfield Baptist Church, with the services following immediately thereafter. Gifts in Mrs. Lowe’s memory may be made to the Westfield Baptist Church, 6713 Westfield Road, Westfield, N.C., 27053. Gifts also may be made to the Bruce Lowe Scholarship Fund at North Carolina State University, c/o Poole College of Management, NC State University, Campus Box 7474, Raleigh, N.C., 27695. Members of Mrs. Lowe’s family wish to express their gratitude to her doctors, nurses, Mountain Valley Hospice, and treasured friends for their devoted care.