Lowther

Leona R. Lowther, 82, a former resident of Valencia in Butler County and of Atlantic Beach, Fla., died Saturday at the St. Mary's Asbury Ridge assisted living facility in Erie.

Mrs. Lowther was born Aug. 3, 1927, in Scranton.

She graduated from Scranton Central High School in 1945. She was a graduate of Keystone College.

As a registered nurse, she attended Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., and the nursing diploma program at Cornell University in New York City. For her, nursing was a calling based upon competence and compassion.

Her passion was her family and her faith. Her unconditional love and guidance will never be forgotten.

She had been an active member of the Historic Preservation Societies, the Civil War Preservation Trust, and the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Robert J. Lowther Sr.

She is survived by her sister, Mary Stull of Middleburg, Pa.; a son, Robert J. Lowther Jr. (Carrie) of Edinboro, Pa.; a daughter, Nadine Swan of Atlantic Beach; and five grandchildren, Nathan Swan of New York, N.Y., Jennifer Lowther of Temecula, Calif., and Robert J. Lowther III, John Lowther and Bryan Lowther, all of Edinboro; two nephews, David Stull (Nancy) of Middleburg and Edwin Lowther of Sierra Vista, Ariz.

<B>LOWTHER</B> — Friends of Leona R. Lowther, who died Saturday, July 17, 2010, may call from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the <B>Dusckas-Martin Funeral Home and Crematory</B>, 4216 Sterrettania Road, Erie. Private services and interment will be Wednesday at the 28th Division Cemetery in Indiantown Gap, Veterans Affairs National Cemetery, Annville, Pa.Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania, 2707 Interchange Road, Erie, PA 16506; the Civil War Preservation Trust, 11 Public Square, Suite 200, Hagerstown, MD 21740 (www.civilwar.org); or the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, P.O. Box 110, Mount Vernon, VA 22121 (www.mountvernon.org).