Jo Frances Wheeler Lowell

Jo Lowell was born June 15, 1941 in Eustace, Texas and passed away on July 4, 2024 at her son Ken’s home in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Jo was the daughter of Jettie Beryle Lynch and Oscar Rodger Wheeler. She graduated in 1959 from Grand Junction High School in Colorado. 

She married Ken Lowell on November 14, 1958 and they were later sealed in the Mesa, Arizona Temple. Ken and Jo have been together 64 years and are the parents of five children: Kathy (Alan) Whiting - Bountiful, Utah, Ken (Renee) - Las Vegas, Nevada, Keith (Karen) Lowell - Grand Junction, Colorado, Karrin (Kyle) Cox - Logandale, Nevada and Kris (Cassie) Lowell - Bountiful Utah. 

She was taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and made her choice to be baptized independent of anyone else’s opinion. She served in many different callings throughout her life. 

Jo was preceded in death by her her grandson, Jeffrey Robert Lowell. 

She is survived by her husband Ken, her five children, 21 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren with another on the way and one great-great-grandchild. She is also survived by life-long friends Cal and Cindy Puana who were always family.

Her son, Keith, posted the following tribute:

It’s somewhat fitting she passed while fireworks filled the sky, she was a firecracker. If you were lucky enough to have known her, you immediately knew my short, little mother wasn’t afraid to voice her opinion or mince words, ( I guess that’s where I got it) but she was always pure in her intentions. In our home, we never held anything back, you got 100% honesty, passion, and love. We loved loudly sometimes, but I believe it made us all better. I always knew she had my back and she loved me. 

She was a hard worker and I was lucky enough to watch her up close. She would outwork all of us. She was tough as nails and she proved it until the end, even though Alzheimer’s had overtaken her, she fought like a champ. 

She had an incredible ability to adjust and transition, doing whatever needed to be done in order to take care of her family. She was accomplished at doing hard things. She was relentless in the protection of her family, messing with one of her kids was never a good idea, even if we were in the wrong. What I have in me that is unyielding, and fierce, is from her. 

She didn’t know anything about the sports her kids were playing but she was always there and always the loudest, even if she yelled and cheered at the wrong times. She was there. 

So many great memories involved her cooking something, with family and friends gathered to eat it. I can taste her fried chicken and potato salad right now. She would stand at that griddle on Christmas morning until everyone had eaten their weight in her famous pancakes. 

I believe the most important thing you can leave behind in this world are memories you’ve created for or with someone else. My mom left a fantastic legacy of memories. She loved her family and she showed it by her actions and deeds.

I’m not sure how the selection process works for children being assigned to their parents, maybe it’s like the NFL draft. You sit in a room all dressed up and wait for your name to be called. However it works, I was blessed to have the mother I did. 

Funeral Services will begin at 11:00 am, Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in the Utah Stone Creek Stake Center, 1476 North 300 West in Bountiful. Friends may visit prior to the funeral from 10:00 - 10:45 am at the church. Interment will be in the Bountiful City Cemetery.