Mr. Lowell William Ross

Lowell William Ross, Sr., 90, devoted husband of Carolyn Tuten Ross, peacefully entered his heavenly home on Thursday, September 1, 2022, with his loving wife by his side. Born on March 13, 1932, in Oconee County, Lowell was the son of the late Jesse A. and Jessie Keown Ross. Following graduation from Walhalla High School in 1949, Lowell boarded the bus to Columbia in the fall and enrolled at the University of South Carolina. Upon graduating in 1954 with a major in economics and a minor in education, he served in the US Air Force for 3 ½ years before deciding to pursue the study of law. In 1961 he was graduated, cum laude, with his LL.B. from the USC Law School. While there, he was a member of the Wig and Robe Honorary Scholastic Society and the Law Review. Following graduation, Lowell served as a law clerk for US District Judge J. Robert Martin (deceased) in 1962-63 during the time when Judge Martin issued orders requiring the integration of the University of SC and the state parks of SC. Lowell practiced with the firms of McKay, McKay, Black and Walker and Rogers, McDonald and Ross while living in Columbia. In 1969, Lowell and Carolyn found a home and moved to Seneca, SC, to fulfill Lowell’s dream of opening a law office to help and serve the people of Oconee County. He started his practice in Walhalla with Howard Pettit; Julian Stoudemire later joined them. Lowell and Julian eventually opened their practice in their new building in Seneca where they practiced together and with others for many years. Lowell semi-retired in 2017 after practicing law for 56 years. Lowell was always passionate about helping those who he believed had been treated unjustly or had not had a fair chance in life. He was very active in the South Carolina’s Young Lawyers. His extraordinary vision led to the establishment of the Defense of Indigents Act, which created a Public Defender System in South Carolina for the first time. He served two terms in the SC Legislature (1970-1972; 1990-1992), where he worked tirelessly to help create the Oconee County Sewer Commission providing wastewater treatment for Oconee’s towns. Under his watch, Oconee County achieved Home Rule with the establishment of the Oconee County Council, and South Carolina moved forward by creating the Statewide Unified Court System. All of these improved the lives of Oconeeans and South Carolinians. Lowell received the Distinguished Service Award presented by the Columbia, SC, Jaycees (1967) and the South Carolina Outstanding Young Lawyer Award (1969). Over the years he served Oconee and South Carolina in many capacities, including being a member of the SC House Judiciary Committee; chairman of the SC Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline; member of the SC Bar Board of Governors; president of the SC Bar Foundation, general counsel (pro bono) for the Oconee Board of Disabilities and Special Needs; president of the Northside Elementary Parent-Teacher Association; member of the Seneca Sertoma Club. He was a local historian and writer who loved to share his knowledge and works. Since 1969 Lowell and Carolyn have been active members of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, where he served as a lay reader and a member of the vestry. He helped negotiate the purchase of the property where the new church is located on Northampton Road in Seneca, when the mission church was growing to become a parish. Lowell loved his family and was very proud of them. He also loved cooking his special recipes and serving them to family and friends, hiking and exploring the back roads of Oconee County, enjoying baseball events, traveling with his family, watching Westerns, riding his bike, and spending time at his and Carolyn’s farm. He was an avid reader and a photographer. While at USC, he was a Gamecock photographer. Lowell is survived by his wife, Carolyn; sons Lowell, Jr, of Seattle and David (Lisa) of Columbia; daughters Kay Ross (Richard McEachern) of Columbia and Sharon Ross (Russ Rogers) of Seneca; grandchildren Ben Thrasher (Teresa), Tripp Ross (Necia), Mary Leigh McEachern, Brennan Ross; plus bonus grandchildren Ashlie Rogers and Dalton (Mercadies) Rogers; two great-grandsons; a sister, Opal Ross Bullington, and nephew, Danny Bullington (Michele), of Aiken; and many more loving family members. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother-in-law, Eldon Bullington. The family would like to thank all of the caregivers, doctors, nurses, and home health care professionals who provided such excellent and compassionate care. Visitation will take place at Davenport Funeral Home in West Union on Sunday, September 18, from 3 to 5 PM. A Celebration of Life will follow on Monday, September 19, at 3 PM, at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Seneca, with a reception in the parish hall after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that memorials be made to the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Lowell Ross Memorial Fund, 214 Northampton Road, Seneca, SC 29672, or to a charity of one’s choice.

Mr. Lowell William Ross

March 13, 1932 - September 1, 2022