Eli Tate Lowry was born December 2, 1997 in Tampa, Florida and departed this life on November 3, 2013 at the young age of 15.

When he was three days old, Eli was adopted by Calvin & Diane (Breathouwer) Lowry, and from that day forward he found a loving, nurturing family who encouraged him to become the very special young man that he was.

Eli's mother passed away when he was a fourth grader and the words he spoke at her funeral are still talked about among friends and family today. The fact that he chose, as a young boy, to stand up and share about something so close to his heart, speaks volumes about him.

Luckily, Eli was given the gift of a second mom, Emily, and a brother, Damian, to begin a "new" family. Later, two sisters, Talia and Kim, and another brother, Caden, were added to their household. Eli was proud of his family and felt truly blessed to be a part of it.

He grew up in the family's home west of Prairie View, Kansas and spent a lot of time helping his Dad on the ranch. He loved the outdoors, riding horses, working with the cattle, and always looked forward to roping and branding calves in the spring.

Eli attended the Northern Valley schools and was a sophomore at Northern Valley High School in Almena, Kansas. He was a member of the Cedar Ridge 4-H Club in Almena, the Northern Valley FFA, and the Forensics team. He loved sports of all kinds, playing on the youth baseball team in Almena and then participating in basketball, track and football at Northern Valley. His #1 passion was playing football for the Huskies, and he was a dedicated and hard-working team member. Even though knee injuries kept him from playing this year, he served as the team's statistician and biggest fan.


In addition to his Dad, one of the biggest influences in Eli's life was his church. He attended the Almena Congregational Church beginning with Sunday school as a small child. He later became a member of TFC (Teens for Christ) in Almena, where he enjoyed sharing his love of the Lord with others. This special group allowed him to explore and develop his leadership abilities and help organize projects and activities that were beneficial to other people and the community.

Eli's character, his spirit, and his mischievous, quirky smile will never be forgotten. It is obvious that his life was full: he was blessed to have classmates, friends, teammates, coaches, teachers, parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who loved and cherished him. But most importantly of all, Eli knew that he was a child of God and that his final home would be in Heaven.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Diane, and grandmothers, Maxine Lowry and Margaret Breathouwer.

He is survived by his parents, Calvin & Emily Lowry; brothers, Damian Wellman and Caden Lowry, and sisters, Talia and Kim Lowry, all of Prairie View, KS; grandparents, Gayle & Barb Christensen of Elbert, CO and LuAnn & Trey Alderson of Indiahoma, OK; grandfather, Melvin Breathouwer of Long Island, KS; and a host of aunts, uncles and cousins.

A memorial service will be held Friday, Nov. 8, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. in the Northern Valley High School gymnasium in Almena, KS with Pastors Kirk Kasson and Paul Vanderveer officiating. Private inurnment will be in the Norton Cemetery, Norton, KS.

Friends may sign Eli's memory book at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel in Phillipsburg, KS on Thursday from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be given to Teens for Christ or the Northern Valley Athletic Department.