Last updated on October 7th, 2024
Lowe’s Market has announced the death of Roger Lowe Sr., president and chairman, who died Oct. 3 following a brief illness.
Lowe and his father, Bud, opened their first grocery store in Olton, Texas, in 1963; however, the family’s history can be traced to the late 1940s, when his father started selling candy and sundries with one truck in the town of Littlefield.
Together, father and son founded Lowe’s Market on the principle of taking care of the community, their teammates and family. That philosophy has allowed the company to grow to 153 stores and about 6,000 employees in Texas and New Mexico, as well as Arizona, Colorado and Kansas.
According to his obituary, Lowe had to face many adversities over the years, but relied on his faith in God and a strong, determined perseverance to see him through. He was well-known for providing guidance to young leaders within the company and would often tell them, “God, family and the grocery business – keep your priorities in that order and your life will go a whole lot better.”
[RELATED: Roger Lowe Sr. – A Lasting Legacy Of Passion, Partnerships And Persistence]
Early in his career, Lowe recognized that he needed to partner with a dependable wholesaler, driving him to work with Affiliated Foods (AFI) in Amarillo. He joined the AFI’s board of directors in 1972, becoming its chairman in 1982. Lowe served on the board for 50 years and was the chairman for 40 of those before retiring from the panel in 2022. During that time, he built thousands of relationships while growing his own business and AFI into one of the largest wholesalers in the U.S.
Lowe received numerous awards and recognition throughout the years. Most recently, in 2016, he was awarded the National Grocers Association’s Thomas Zaucha Entrepreneurial Award for Excellence. In 2022, he was inducted into Shelby Publishing’s Food Industry Hall of Fame while Lowe’s Market was named The Shelby Report of the Southwest’s Retailer of the Year.
Visitation will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at the First Baptist Church MAC (gymnasium). Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Oct. 9 at First Baptist Church in Littlefield with Pastor Tanner Wilson officiating.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to 29 Acres.
