Obituary | Elvin “Buddy” Rowley of Huntington, Texas

Funeral services for Elvin “Buddy” Lowery will be held Wednesday, September 18th at Callaway Funeral Home in Lufkin. Visitation will begin at 1pm, followed by a funeral service at 2pm, with burial in the Garden of Memories. Mr. Lowery, 88, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones in his hometown of Huntington, Texas.

Buddy was born on June 9, 1936, in the small community of Smyrna, Texas, to Ephraim and Lucy Wells Rowley. The youngest of 10 children, he grew up surrounded by family who instilled in him the value of hard work and the ideals of the American Dream from an early age. Whatever he did, he put his heart and soul into it, whether it was hunting, picking cotton or playing basketball. Though he always had a fiercely competitive spirit, he was well known for his kind nature, sense of humor and passion for helping those around him.

(After moving to Huntington from Smyrna in 1945, he met his wife, Tommy Jean Wilson. Buddy was known for his love of basketball, but it all started with playing both basketball and baseball at Huntington High School. He is a member of the Huntington High School Hall of Fame. After playing two years at Panola Junior College, Buddy transferred to Stephen F. Austin State University where he built a true legend in basketball and Tommy Jean built a legend in education. Buddy was inducted into the SFA Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984 and was recognized as a “Jack of Honor” in 2004. After college, he played professional basketball for the Detroit Pistons in 1959. Although playing in the NBA was his dream, he preferred the camaraderie of playing for the Lawrie Brothers basketball team throughout Texas.

In addition to his accomplishments as a basketball player, Buddy was a pillar of the Angelina County community for many years. After playing in the NBA, he joined his brother in the timber industry and over the course of 40 years grew to own several sawmills and chip plants. He was a successful real estate investor, rancher, and served on the board of directors of UBank (formerly Huntington State Bank) for over 35 years. Most importantly, he was known around town for the unwavering generosity and courage he showed in times of need. He received the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Special Citation in 1998 for saving the life of a young woman following a car accident.

Buddy was fortunate to spend his entire life surrounded by the tall pine trees and vibrant red soil of East Texas, a place he affectionately called “my old home.” There was nothing he loved more than a day’s work beneath the East Texas skies. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Tommy Jean Lowry, his children Lane Lowry and Shanna De Paoli, his son-in-law Ernest De Paoli, grandchildren Morgan and Grant De Paoli, and many nieces and nephews.

Serving as casket bearers will be Mike Pearson, Bobby Nichols, Keith Rowley, James Wells, Kent Henson and Randy Burch.

Buddy was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Huntington and memorial donations may be made to the First Baptist Church of Huntington Fellowship Class, 702 North Main Street, Huntington, Texas 75949 or the East Texas Food Bank at easttexasfoodbank.org.

Memorials and condolences may be posted and a live webcast of the funeral may be viewed at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com

Callaway Funeral Home, Lufkin, director.

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