Mildred Lowe

Gladys Mildred (Vaught) Lowe died on June 25, 2026, at the age of 91. Mildred – or “Mid” – was a devoted wife and mother. She was also fiercely independent. Mid was preceded in death by her husband, Wiley Gresham Lowe, on October 27, 2003. Mid also outlived her first-born son, Raymond Edward (Eddie) Lowe; her seven siblings and their spouses, including most recently Nannie Vaught, wife of Mid’s brother Dale; and numerous aunts & uncles, nieces & nephews, cousins & sundry other kin. Mid was truly the last of her kind.

Mid was born on October 30, 1934, the youngest child of Jacob Raymond and Gertrude (Cole) Vaught. Mid was raised on the family farm off of Crackers Neck Road here in Johnson County. As the last child of eight, some would say Mid was spoiled. She would beg to differ. Her mother had earned a college degree from Carson Newman, which in those days, particularly for a woman, was an achievement indeed. For her part, after graduating from Johnson County High School in 1948, Mid attended one year of college, at which point, over her parents’ objections, she refused to return.

 On July 4, 1959, she and Gresham were married in a ceremony overseen by the late Tom Worley, Sr., at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, where Mid remained a lifelong member. Gresham had already embarked on what became a 22-year enlisted career as an air traffic controller in the U.S. Navy. Gresham and Mid were soon stationed in Newfoundland, Canada, where they welcomed Eddie into the world in December 1961. Gresham was then transferred to Meridian, Mississippi. It was there, in June 1963, that Mid gave birth to their second son, Jeffery Charles (JC) Lowe, still known to those who knew him then as Chuck.

Gresham retired from the Navy in 1974, when the family returned to Johnson County and bought a home on East Mountain City Hill. Gresham later went to work for Burlington Industries before retiring for good as Director of Environmental Services at Watauga Medical Center in Boone, NC. Mid worked for over twenty years as the receptionist for Dr. George C. Cunningham, the Mountain City optometrist. People still mention Mid’s friendly but incisive demeanor from behind that counter.

 Like everyone, our family experienced its share of joy and hardship. According to James Agee, a Knoxville native, in A Death in the Family, “God doesn't believe in the easy way.” Gresham died In 2003 from a series of long, smoking-related illnesses. Mid never remarried and, frankly, never got over losing the love of her life. In 2007, Mid sold the family home and bought a house on North Church Street in Mountain City. She gardened and did most everything else for herself. Notably, Gresham’s mother, Reba Greene, had owned this very house and lived here until her death from dementia in 1994. Mid was always quite close with Reba, and sat up with her many a long night during Reba’s illness. In October 2014, Eddie also died in this house following a difficult life of his own.

 Right after Thanksgiving 2018, while doing something she shouldn’t have, namely, hanging outdoor Christmas decorations, Mid fell and broke her upper left arm. That never really healed. JC, then a lawyer in Washington, DC, and the author of this tribute, then moved back home to help take care of Mid. In reality, she mostly took care of him. They shared several wonderful years together, including 2020, during the Pandemic, until 2023, when JC married Nela S. Pleasant, another Johnson County native, with Mid as one of only two witnesses. 

Mid remained mostly healthy, despite three operations on that busted arm, two knee replacements and one new hip. But her health declined rapidly after the first of this year. Mid was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and went on oxygen in the spring. She was determined to remain in her home, though, and did. But she fell again this past Thursday and, upon returning home after treatment that afternoon, collapsed and died quietly. May she now rest in peace with Gresham in Paradise. 

 Mid is survived by JC, currently the county judge, and his wife Nela, as well as his son, Aidan Tai, and Eddie’s only son, Joshua. It bears mentioning, too, that Mid is survived by Mary Ann Worley, Gresham’s sister, and her husband, Tommy, and their two sons, Clyde and Thomas, and their very large families. The end is the beginning and the circle remains unbroken. Amen.

Visitation for Mid will take place at Hux Lipford Funeral Home in Mountain City on Monday, June 29 th , between 6-8:00 pm. A graveside service open to the public will follow on Tuesday, June 30 th , at 10:00 am at Shouns-McEwen Cemetery on Campbell Road in Doe Valley.

Contributions to Hometown Service Coalition, Mid’s favorite charity, will gratefully be received in lieu of flowers.

Online condolences and memories may be sent to the family through our website at www.huxlipfordfh.com.

Hux & Lipford Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Mildred Lowe.