Like his grandfather and father before him, third-generation Funeral Director/Embalmer James A. “Jim” Lowe II is passionate about helping others. The owner and president of Lowe (rhymes with wow) Funeral Home in Burlington, North Carolina, has been a willing participant on mission trips with two local churches for almost a quarter of a century, “sometimes five or six weeks a year.”
That wasn’t always the case. For two years, a minister tried to convince him to go on a mission, and he always found an excuse to say no.
“That first trip involved a 36-hour drive north to Canada and then 10 to 12 hours to get to Easterville, Manitoba, a little town with two stores, an ice rink and a Royal Canadian Mounted Police station with a huge antenna and one large church that was only framed in,” he said.
Working in uncommonly cold weather for residents of the Tarheel State, they built a church for the Chemawawin Nation. And Jim was hooked. Jim went back to his home church and formed their own mission team.
People Memorial Christian Church also sent mission groups to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and, one year, Jim and his wife towed a U-Haul filled with Christmas presents for the children on the reservation. Being one-eighth Cherokee makes missions that help Native Americans more than hilanthropic.
“It’s meaningful to do the mission’s work for anyone, but that little connection makes our assistance more personal,” he said of the 20-plus trips Jim has made with the two Burlington churches. “Anytime you do something for someone in need, your insides just feel good.”
His passion is understandable, but how does he manage to run his funeral home if he’s away for weeks at a time?
“My grandfather taught me we were there to take care of families first,” he began. “My grandfather said if a family told us to hop on the casket and ride it through town yelling, ‘yippee ki-yay,’ that’s what we should do – and the second concern would be to take care of the staff.”
“We have a staff I would put up against any in the world,” Jim continued. “I have three who’ve been here more than 30 years and eight who have worked here over 20 years.”
The remainder of this article is reserved for subscribers only
In addition to receiving all of our quarterly magazines by mail, subscribers to Southern Calls have exclusive access to additional online articles, as well as ability to read all Southern Calls magazine articles as they come available.
Get your One Year or Two Year subscription today, or login here to continue viewing the rest of the article.
Order this issue
Southern Calls Issue 29
In stock
Articles Relating to Issue 29
A Man of Many Skills
Fountain National Academy of Professional Embalming SkillsSpringfield, Missouri The call came in from another state: an innocent bystander had been caught in the middle of a shootout. There would be reconstruction involved if there was to be a viewing. The funeral…
The NFDA Story
A BRIEF HISTORY OF NFDA SPANNING THREE CENTURIES Come, gather, come, gather, ye knights of the grave,A welcome awaits you right royally brave;Our fields they look fresh and our brooklets they smile,And the sweet-scented zephyrs, the senses beguile;The birds of the air…
The CEO | Christine Pepper
At first glance, you might recognize Christine Reichelt Pepper from photos in The Director magazine, where she has been featured alongside an abundance of funeral directors past and present. Others may have become familiar with the longtime chief executive officer of…
Issue 29 Available Now
Despite some virus-related delays slowing our print production, Issue 29 is hitting the post office and should arrive soon! We are proud to feature Christine Pepper “The CEO” at NFDA, as well as the physical prescence of the NFDA through the years, and reconstruction…
