Patsy Pauline Lowery

Patsy Pauline Lowery was born at home in Wanette, Oklahoma, on June 15, 1933, to W. K. and Ollie Reed Smith. Died at home in Taft, California, on Dec. 23, 2015.

After a few years around Oklahoma and Texas, Patsy made her first trip to California by train in 1942, in a train car crowded with GIs. Her parents came out to work in the booming WWII shipyards in Vallejo, California. A sick grandfather took her family back to Oklahoma until 1947, when the Smiths joined up with 11 other families for the long drive to the Kern County oilfields, where her father landed a job with Victory Oil Co. in McKittrick, California.

About the long trip to California with 11 other families, Patsy said, "It was like a wagon train."

Settling in Fellows, California, in 1947, Patsy met her future husband Herod Lowery, Sr., who was living two doors down from her family. They wed on June 15, 1950, and had two children.

Patsy was a 1951 graduate of Taft High School and also attended Taft Community College. She played a lot of six-on-six girl's basketball at Taft High School, at a time when girls were not really allowed to play sports. Even as an adult, when playing pickup basketball in her driveway with her son's friends, Patsy's two-handed set shot was nearly always nothing but net.

Not one to be a housewife, Patsy loved to work. In Taft in the 1960s, she worked for State Farm Insurance on Kern Street. After moving to Santa Maria in 1965, she was the office manager for the Value Fair department store, starting out as a greeter at the store's grand opening in 1967 for $1.25 per hour. Added to her bookkeeping duties a few years later was handling the affairs of the family's Texaco gas station.

In 1975, Patsy went to work with her husband as they managed B&H Vacuum Truck Service in Orcutt, California, until they moved back to Fellows in 1977. She of course went back to work, first for the Sierra Anchor oil refinery in McKittrick and later McFarland Energy near Fellows. Patsy retired in 1985.

Patsy was well know for her pleasing personality, smile, work ethic and absolute honesty. You can believe it when Patsy said she'd never even taken a paper clip from work! She was a member of the Emblem Club in Taft, where she was in July 1964 when her family's house in Fellows was destroyed by fire.

Patsy briefly moved back to Orcutt in 1994 to live with her son after her husband died in June 1993, after 43 years of marriage. Back to Taft in 1995, where she stayed the rest of her life. She met Howard Caywood and they were together from 1998 until her death and he survives her. Patsy gladly assisted Howard in his business.

She also led the senior exercise group in the 1990s and 2000s at the Taft Recreation Center. So much of her fun times for many, many years was meeting with her friends at McDonald's and Jo's restaurants.

Thankfully, the last three days of her life were spent in good spirits in the company of her son at her home in Taft.

Patsy was a wonderful, kind and caring mother and a great friend to many. Patsy was proceeded in death by her parents, husband, and a brother. She is survived by her son Herod Lowery, Jr., of Orcutt, California, sister Doris Gorham of Keller, Texas, brother Richard Smith of Bakersfield, California, sister-in-law Cathy Barnett of Taft, many relatives in Oklahoma, many nieces and nephews and a daughter, grandson and four great-grandchildren.

Patsy requested instead of flowers, contributions be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Erickson & Brown Funeral Home in Taft is handling the arrangements which will consist of direct burial without services, per Patsy's request, at 1 p.m. on Dec. 30, 2015, at the West Side Cemetery in Taft.

After the burial, a small celebration of Patsy's life will be celebrated at New Hope Pentecostal Church of God at 308 Harrison Street in Taft.

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