David Leon Lowman was born by the name of Homer Westley Langley to Robert Dan Norvell-Langley and Rosa L. Snow in the state of Oklahoma on June 6, 1906.
He lived with his family helping out on the farm where his dad worked. On December 23, 1924, he married Ila Alice Davis, and they had four children together, one of which died as a young child. After the birth of their first child, Viola Louise Langley, he and his family moved to California in the late 1920s, where they lodged with another family as boarders before finding a place of his own.
By 1930, Homer was working as a mechanic in an auto garage in Fresno, California. He would later go on to teach his son Donald Lowman (my father) those same auto mechanic skills, and Donald later taught those same skills to his grandson Matthew.
Homer and Ila had their second child, Barbara Lucille Langley, and their third child, Homer "Junior" Langley, in California before moving back to Oklahoma in the mid 1930s. It was there that their son Homer Junior Langley passed away in 1937 at the age of 7. Homer and Ila had their fourth and final child, William "Bill" Richard Langley.
Back in Oklahoma, Homer was working in the oil fields. One day in 1939, there was a terrible accident, and Homer was injured severely. I remember hearing stories of an explosion at the oil field and some heavy equipment falling on my grandfather, crushing his back and requiring a very lengthy hospital stay and extensive medical assistance. As a result, his face was deeply scarred (as you will see in the photographs I have posted of him in the "Memories" section above.) Also, my dad remembers seeing five long scars and gashes across his father's back from where he had back surgery following the accident. He was in the hospital for over four months.
In 1939, soon after the time of the accident and shortly after the birth of Bill, Homer's marriage with his first wife dissolved, and he and Ila lost all contact with each other.
After falling on some hard times because some unfortunate decisions, Homer decided to change his identity and turn over a new leaf. Leaving all traces of his old life behind, he changed his name to David Leon Lowman in October 1940 when he headed to Arkansas to find work, accompanied by his dear friend and companion Calvin Jack "Red" Smith-Lowman. Jack was like a brother to him, and my family and I all grew up calling him "Uncle Red." Calvin Jack Smith-Lowman was also moving on in life and trying to start a new page. They decided to do so together.
In Manila, Arkansas, Dave met my grandmother, Lucille when working on an area farm. In her memory book, she said he was a "black-headed, blue-eyed, handsome devil." It was love at first sight. They ran away together so they could be married on June 14, 1942. She lied about her age on the marriage license and married him; she was only 15 and he was 34 when they married. Afterward, my grandmother wanted to make sure that her mother could not have the marriage annulled, so they waited over five weeks before letting anyone know where they were.
They had three children, my father Donald (1951-2019), Ronald Ray (1953), and Lonnie Lee (1956), before leaving Arkansas and moving into the bootheel of Missouri to the small town of Catron.
Dave worked as a sharecropper on the Perkins farm for the rest of his life in Missouri. One day in the fields, he suffered a massive stroke and fell into a coma and never regained consciousness. He passed away several days later at the Sikeston Regional Medical Center.
In his former life, he made some bad decisions that permanently changed the course of his life. When he changed his identity, he also changed his lifestyle. In the end, he was a man of strong character, respect, and work ethic. His word was his honor, and he never left a job undone. In trying to repent of the errors of the past, he did all in his ability to provide for his second wife and family. He was a faithful and loving husband and father. Ultimately, at least after he began a new path in life and changed directions for the better, he left a legacy of strength and character that his sons have adopted after him.
His obituary reads:
CATRON —David Leon Lowman, 61, farmer, passed away Saturday, June 29, 1968. Services were held Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Baptist church, with the Rev. Bill Coomer officiating. Burial was in Mounds Park cemetery near Lilbourn with Ponder Funeral Home, Lilboum, in charge. Lowman died Saturday at 6 a.m. in the Missouri Delta Community hospital, Sikeston. He was born in Bennett, Tex., June 6, 1907. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Lucille Lowman; three sons, Donald, Ronald and Lonnie Lee Lowman, all of Catron; one brother, Jack Lowman of Los Angeles.
Sikeston Daily Standard Newspaper Archives
Monday, July 01, 1968 - Page 14
He lived with his family helping out on the farm where his dad worked. On December 23, 1924, he married Ila Alice Davis, and they had four children together, one of which died as a young child. After the birth of their first child, Viola Louise Langley, he and his family moved to California in the late 1920s, where they lodged with another family as boarders before finding a place of his own.
By 1930, Homer was working as a mechanic in an auto garage in Fresno, California. He would later go on to teach his son Donald Lowman (my father) those same auto mechanic skills, and Donald later taught those same skills to his grandson Matthew.
Homer and Ila had their second child, Barbara Lucille Langley, and their third child, Homer "Junior" Langley, in California before moving back to Oklahoma in the mid 1930s. It was there that their son Homer Junior Langley passed away in 1937 at the age of 7. Homer and Ila had their fourth and final child, William "Bill" Richard Langley.
Back in Oklahoma, Homer was working in the oil fields. One day in 1939, there was a terrible accident, and Homer was injured severely. I remember hearing stories of an explosion at the oil field and some heavy equipment falling on my grandfather, crushing his back and requiring a very lengthy hospital stay and extensive medical assistance. As a result, his face was deeply scarred (as you will see in the photographs I have posted of him in the "Memories" section above.) Also, my dad remembers seeing five long scars and gashes across his father's back from where he had back surgery following the accident. He was in the hospital for over four months.
In 1939, soon after the time of the accident and shortly after the birth of Bill, Homer's marriage with his first wife dissolved, and he and Ila lost all contact with each other.
After falling on some hard times because some unfortunate decisions, Homer decided to change his identity and turn over a new leaf. Leaving all traces of his old life behind, he changed his name to David Leon Lowman in October 1940 when he headed to Arkansas to find work, accompanied by his dear friend and companion Calvin Jack "Red" Smith-Lowman. Jack was like a brother to him, and my family and I all grew up calling him "Uncle Red." Calvin Jack Smith-Lowman was also moving on in life and trying to start a new page. They decided to do so together.
In Manila, Arkansas, Dave met my grandmother, Lucille when working on an area farm. In her memory book, she said he was a "black-headed, blue-eyed, handsome devil." It was love at first sight. They ran away together so they could be married on June 14, 1942. She lied about her age on the marriage license and married him; she was only 15 and he was 34 when they married. Afterward, my grandmother wanted to make sure that her mother could not have the marriage annulled, so they waited over five weeks before letting anyone know where they were.
They had three children, my father Donald (1951-2019), Ronald Ray (1953), and Lonnie Lee (1956), before leaving Arkansas and moving into the bootheel of Missouri to the small town of Catron.
Dave worked as a sharecropper on the Perkins farm for the rest of his life in Missouri. One day in the fields, he suffered a massive stroke and fell into a coma and never regained consciousness. He passed away several days later at the Sikeston Regional Medical Center.
In his former life, he made some bad decisions that permanently changed the course of his life. When he changed his identity, he also changed his lifestyle. In the end, he was a man of strong character, respect, and work ethic. His word was his honor, and he never left a job undone. In trying to repent of the errors of the past, he did all in his ability to provide for his second wife and family. He was a faithful and loving husband and father. Ultimately, at least after he began a new path in life and changed directions for the better, he left a legacy of strength and character that his sons have adopted after him.
His obituary reads:
CATRON —David Leon Lowman, 61, farmer, passed away Saturday, June 29, 1968. Services were held Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Baptist church, with the Rev. Bill Coomer officiating. Burial was in Mounds Park cemetery near Lilbourn with Ponder Funeral Home, Lilboum, in charge. Lowman died Saturday at 6 a.m. in the Missouri Delta Community hospital, Sikeston. He was born in Bennett, Tex., June 6, 1907. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Lucille Lowman; three sons, Donald, Ronald and Lonnie Lee Lowman, all of Catron; one brother, Jack Lowman of Los Angeles.
Sikeston Daily Standard Newspaper Archives
Monday, July 01, 1968 - Page 14
David Leon Lowman was born by the name of Homer Westley Langley to Robert Dan Norvell-Langley and Rosa L. Snow in the state of Oklahoma on June 6, 1906.
He lived with his family helping out on the farm where his dad worked. On December 23, 1924, he married Ila Alice Davis, and they had four children together, one of which died as a young child. After the birth of their first child, Viola Louise Langley, he and his family moved to California in the late 1920s, where they lodged with another family as boarders before finding a place of his own.
By 1930, Homer was working as a mechanic in an auto garage in Fresno, California. He would later go on to teach his son Donald Lowman (my father) those same auto mechanic skills, and Donald later taught those same skills to his grandson Matthew.
Homer and Ila had their second child, Barbara Lucille Langley, and their third child, Homer "Junior" Langley, in California before moving back to Oklahoma in the mid 1930s. It was there that their son Homer Junior Langley passed away in 1937 at the age of 7. Homer and Ila had their fourth and final child, William "Bill" Richard Langley.
Back in Oklahoma, Homer was working in the oil fields. One day in 1939, there was a terrible accident, and Homer was injured severely. I remember hearing stories of an explosion at the oil field and some heavy equipment falling on my grandfather, crushing his back and requiring a very lengthy hospital stay and extensive medical assistance. As a result, his face was deeply scarred (as you will see in the photographs I have posted of him in the "Memories" section above.) Also, my dad remembers seeing five long scars and gashes across his father's back from where he had back surgery following the accident. He was in the hospital for over four months.
In 1939, soon after the time of the accident and shortly after the birth of Bill, Homer's marriage with his first wife dissolved, and he and Ila lost all contact with each other.
After falling on some hard times because some unfortunate decisions, Homer decided to change his identity and turn over a new leaf. Leaving all traces of his old life behind, he changed his name to David Leon Lowman in October 1940 when he headed to Arkansas to find work, accompanied by his dear friend and companion Calvin Jack "Red" Smith-Lowman. Jack was like a brother to him, and my family and I all grew up calling him "Uncle Red." Calvin Jack Smith-Lowman was also moving on in life and trying to start a new page. They decided to do so together.
In Manila, Arkansas, Dave met my grandmother, Lucille when working on an area farm. In her memory book, she said he was a "black-headed, blue-eyed, handsome devil." It was love at first sight. They ran away together so they could be married on June 14, 1942. She lied about her age on the marriage license and married him; she was only 15 and he was 34 when they married. Afterward, my grandmother wanted to make sure that her mother could not have the marriage annulled, so they waited over five weeks before letting anyone know where they were.
They had three children, my father Donald (1951-2019), Ronald Ray (1953), and Lonnie Lee (1956), before leaving Arkansas and moving into the bootheel of Missouri to the small town of Catron.
Dave worked as a sharecropper on the Perkins farm for the rest of his life in Missouri. One day in the fields, he suffered a massive stroke and fell into a coma and never regained consciousness. He passed away several days later at the Sikeston Regional Medical Center.
In his former life, he made some bad decisions that permanently changed the course of his life. When he changed his identity, he also changed his lifestyle. In the end, he was a man of strong character, respect, and work ethic. His word was his honor, and he never left a job undone. In trying to repent of the errors of the past, he did all in his ability to provide for his second wife and family. He was a faithful and loving husband and father. Ultimately, at least after he began a new path in life and changed directions for the better, he left a legacy of strength and character that his sons have adopted after him.
His obituary reads:
CATRON —David Leon Lowman, 61, farmer, passed away Saturday, June 29, 1968. Services were held Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Baptist church, with the Rev. Bill Coomer officiating. Burial was in Mounds Park cemetery near Lilbourn with Ponder Funeral Home, Lilboum, in charge. Lowman died Saturday at 6 a.m. in the Missouri Delta Community hospital, Sikeston. He was born in Bennett, Tex., June 6, 1907. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Lucille Lowman; three sons, Donald, Ronald and Lonnie Lee Lowman, all of Catron; one brother, Jack Lowman of Los Angeles.
Sikeston Daily Standard Newspaper Archives
Monday, July 01, 1968 - Page 14
He lived with his family helping out on the farm where his dad worked. On December 23, 1924, he married Ila Alice Davis, and they had four children together, one of which died as a young child. After the birth of their first child, Viola Louise Langley, he and his family moved to California in the late 1920s, where they lodged with another family as boarders before finding a place of his own.
By 1930, Homer was working as a mechanic in an auto garage in Fresno, California. He would later go on to teach his son Donald Lowman (my father) those same auto mechanic skills, and Donald later taught those same skills to his grandson Matthew.
Homer and Ila had their second child, Barbara Lucille Langley, and their third child, Homer "Junior" Langley, in California before moving back to Oklahoma in the mid 1930s. It was there that their son Homer Junior Langley passed away in 1937 at the age of 7. Homer and Ila had their fourth and final child, William "Bill" Richard Langley.
Back in Oklahoma, Homer was working in the oil fields. One day in 1939, there was a terrible accident, and Homer was injured severely. I remember hearing stories of an explosion at the oil field and some heavy equipment falling on my grandfather, crushing his back and requiring a very lengthy hospital stay and extensive medical assistance. As a result, his face was deeply scarred (as you will see in the photographs I have posted of him in the "Memories" section above.) Also, my dad remembers seeing five long scars and gashes across his father's back from where he had back surgery following the accident. He was in the hospital for over four months.
In 1939, soon after the time of the accident and shortly after the birth of Bill, Homer's marriage with his first wife dissolved, and he and Ila lost all contact with each other.
After falling on some hard times because some unfortunate decisions, Homer decided to change his identity and turn over a new leaf. Leaving all traces of his old life behind, he changed his name to David Leon Lowman in October 1940 when he headed to Arkansas to find work, accompanied by his dear friend and companion Calvin Jack "Red" Smith-Lowman. Jack was like a brother to him, and my family and I all grew up calling him "Uncle Red." Calvin Jack Smith-Lowman was also moving on in life and trying to start a new page. They decided to do so together.
In Manila, Arkansas, Dave met my grandmother, Lucille when working on an area farm. In her memory book, she said he was a "black-headed, blue-eyed, handsome devil." It was love at first sight. They ran away together so they could be married on June 14, 1942. She lied about her age on the marriage license and married him; she was only 15 and he was 34 when they married. Afterward, my grandmother wanted to make sure that her mother could not have the marriage annulled, so they waited over five weeks before letting anyone know where they were.
They had three children, my father Donald (1951-2019), Ronald Ray (1953), and Lonnie Lee (1956), before leaving Arkansas and moving into the bootheel of Missouri to the small town of Catron.
Dave worked as a sharecropper on the Perkins farm for the rest of his life in Missouri. One day in the fields, he suffered a massive stroke and fell into a coma and never regained consciousness. He passed away several days later at the Sikeston Regional Medical Center.
In his former life, he made some bad decisions that permanently changed the course of his life. When he changed his identity, he also changed his lifestyle. In the end, he was a man of strong character, respect, and work ethic. His word was his honor, and he never left a job undone. In trying to repent of the errors of the past, he did all in his ability to provide for his second wife and family. He was a faithful and loving husband and father. Ultimately, at least after he began a new path in life and changed directions for the better, he left a legacy of strength and character that his sons have adopted after him.
His obituary reads:
CATRON —David Leon Lowman, 61, farmer, passed away Saturday, June 29, 1968. Services were held Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Baptist church, with the Rev. Bill Coomer officiating. Burial was in Mounds Park cemetery near Lilbourn with Ponder Funeral Home, Lilboum, in charge. Lowman died Saturday at 6 a.m. in the Missouri Delta Community hospital, Sikeston. He was born in Bennett, Tex., June 6, 1907. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Lucille Lowman; three sons, Donald, Ronald and Lonnie Lee Lowman, all of Catron; one brother, Jack Lowman of Los Angeles.
Sikeston Daily Standard Newspaper Archives
Monday, July 01, 1968 - Page 14
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