Samuel "Sam" Murray Lowery

Samuel “Sam” Lowery, age 76, of Alanson, Michigan, passed away peacefully on July 19, 2025, at Villa at the Bay in Petoskey, Michigan, surrounded by the love of his family.

Born on January 2, 1949, in Petoskey, Sam was the son of Samuel Jacob and Thora Arlene (Sadler) Lowery. He grew up in Alanson and was a proud graduate of Littlefield Public School. On February 5, 1966, Sam married his high school sweetheart, Kathleen “Kathy” Whitney, beginning a lifelong partnership rooted in love and resilience.

Sam served his community for 30 years as part of the maintenance and custodial team at Littlefield Public School. He also owned and operated Sam’s Guns, a business that reflected his lifelong passion for the outdoors and the Second Amendment. A lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and a proud shareholder of the Green Bay Packers, Sam embodied the values of tradition, loyalty, and independence.

His youth was filled with involvement in 4-H, the Boy Scouts of America, Little League baseball, and high school basketball. Sam was baptized at the United Methodist Church of Alanson and maintained deep roots in his community throughout his life.

Sam was an avid outdoorsman, never missing the opening day of deer hunting season for over 50 years. He was a loyal league member at Pine Hill Golf Course and found great enjoyment in the camaraderie of the game.

He loved the time spent with his children and he thoroughly enjoyed time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren—his pride and joy.

Sam is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Kathy; his sisters Judy (Woodruff) Feutz of Grand Rapids and Janet Rewald of Boyne City; his daughter Jill (Oscar) Villarreal; son Samuel “Sammy” Lowery (Tracy Brazier); five grandchildren: Heather (Lowery) (Stephen) Sanders, Sargeant Allen (Melissa Sanchez) Rockwell, Michael Rockwell, Ian Lowery, and Lieutenant Samuel Lowery; and four great-grandchildren: Avery, Carson, Brian, and Samuel (Sammy) Sanders. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews who will remember him with affection.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Sam and Thora Lowery; his siblings Marciel Woodruff Vargo-Mitchell, Nancy Ford, Deanna Bunker, and Max Lowery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Sam’s memory may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, a cause close to the family’s heart.

A funeral officiated by Ken Smith will be on July 28, 2025 at 11:00 AM at the Alanson Church of the Nazarene. Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM and burial will follow the service at the Littlefield Twp. Cemetery.

Sam’s legacy of grit, humor, and steadfast devotion will live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.

Arrangements are in the care of Stone Funeral Home, Inc.