Carol Ruth (Riley) Lowell, the daughter of Donald E. Riley and Mary R. (Pyles) Riley was born January 24, 1941 in Summersville, MO and passed away at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, MO on June 13, 2024 at the age of 83. Carol was united in marriage to Merle A Lowell on July 25, 1959 and to this union three children were born: Glenna, Gina, and Brenda.
Carol was a life-long resident of the Summersville area. She attended school in Summersville and graduated from Summersville High School. Carol was a hard worker and throughout the years, she held several jobs. Immediately after graduation, she worked for Ford Motor Company in Summersville, worked at Angelica Uniform Company for over 25 years, was a teacher’s aide for Summersville School District, and worked at the Shannon County Courthouse as a recorder of deeds, all before her retirement. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Summersville and had been a member of the Summersville Saddle Club for over 65 years.
Carol enjoyed life and lived it to its fullest each day. She loved her family, friends, riding horses, camping, hunting, and working in her many, beautiful flower gardens. She looked forward to election time and working at the voting precinct. Carol’s greatest joy was found in her family whom she loved more than anything in the world. Carol and Merle raised their kids in Summersville, on their family farm, and while their girls were growing up often spent time at ballgames watching them play any sport they were involved in. Their family spent many wonderful days camping at the river and taking part in Saddle Club activities. As the years moved on, and grandkids came along, these activities continued, just with a bigger group.
Carol was known as the personal photographer for her family, constantly taking pictures of events. She wanted to capture every moment of the times she had together with family and friends. She always shared copies of the photos she took with everyone in the group—no matter how many people were in the group picture, they all received a copy, with Carol saying that pictures didn’t cost that much. Carol was the gatherer and planner for her family. She loved get-togethers when she and Merle could be surrounded by the people who meant the most to them. She always took care to make sure that there was enough food to feed an army and that everyone was always taken care of.
Carol and Merle would have been married 65 years in July. They spent nearly every minute of the day together; if you saw one of them, you often saw the other. If Merle was checking cows, fixing fence, or putting up hay, Carol was with him, helping. She was his right-hand in all things, and there were very few times, especially since she retired, that they were not together.
Carol is survived by a loving family who adored and respected her: her husband Merle of Summersville; daughter Glenna Capshaw and husband Jim of Nixa, MO; daughter Gina Bryan and husband Jim of Pomona, MO; and daughter Brenda Scheiderer and husband Bruce of Springfield, MO; six grandchildren: Crissy, Carrie, Kayla, Mandy, Andrew, and Joshua; and 12 great-grandchildren. While her family grieves the loss of their wife, mother, and grandmother they take comfort in knowing that she is in heaven watching over them.
In lieu of flowers donations in Carol’s memory may be made to the Riley Cemetery
