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, age 92, 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 Crackers Neck Road 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 1953, 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 was a longtime member. Gresham had already embarked on what became a 22-year enlisted career in the U.S. Navy as an air traffic controller. 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 near there, in June 1963, that Mid gave birth to their second son, Jeffery Charles (JC) Lowe, still known to those who knew him before as Chuck.

Gresham retired from the Navy in 1974. The family returned to Johnson County, where they 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 1995. 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.

The family experienced its share of joy and hardship. As James Agee, a Knoxville native, wrote, “God doesn't believe in the easy way.” Gresham died in 2003 from a series of long, smoking- related illnesses. It’s fair to say that Mid never considered remarrying, never having gotten over Gresham. 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. Interestingly, Gresham’s mother, Reba Greene, had owned this very house, where she lived until her death from dementia in 1994. Mid was close with Reba and sat up with her many a night during Reba’s illness. In October 2014, Eddie died in this house, too, following a difficult life of his own.

Right after Thanksgiving 2018, while doing something she probably 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, moved back home to help take care of her. It might be better to say they took care of each other. They shared several wonderful years together, including 2020, during the Pandemic. In 2023, 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. For the past several years, Willa Sluder, a longtime friend and neighbor of Mid’s, has sat with her of a day. But Mid’s health declined rapidly after the first of this year. Mid was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and went on oxygen in the spring. A caregiver company was hired to sit with her at night, but Mid fired them. Twice. She was determined to remain in her home and did. She fell again this past Thursday and, upon returning home after treatment that afternoon, collapsed and died. Perhaps she willed it. We will never know. But 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. Mid loved both of her grandchildren greatly. Aidan lived in the house with her for a year after college. 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 at our website at www.huxlipfordfh.com.

Hux & Lipford Funeral Home 300 W. Main Street, Mountain City, Tennessee is honored to serve the Lowe family.