Lowell Smith

Lowell Rivette Smith

Lowell Smith was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on July 11, 1939, and passed away on July 4^th, 2021, at the age of 81. Lowell was preceded in death by his father, Homer Lowell Smith, his mother, Gloria Rivette Smith, and his brother, Raymond Keith Smith.  Lowell is survived by his son, Alan St. John of Eugene, Oregon, and his niece, Raye Ann Alexander of Pearland, Texas.

Lowell’s father was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army during World War II. The family lived on several bases during Lowell’s early years including stops in Scotland and Germany. The Smith’s settled in Austin, Texas in the early 50’s and Lowell graduated from Travis High School in 1957. He then attended Southwest Texas State University and the University of Texas at Austin with only a couple of hours needed to complete a bachelor’s degree.

His favorite job was with the Glastron Boat Company in Austin. Glastron was one of the first companies to produce fiberglass boats and had manufacturing plants in Austin and New Braunfels, Texas. At Glastron, Lowell used his artistic talents to design boats and to choose the color schemes and fabrics for new boat models. Unfortunately, in 1984 Glastron closed the Austin plant and Lowell was forced to move on from the job he loved. A few years later Lowell would use his vast knowledge of tools and machines to assist customers with their repair projects while working at Breed & Company Hardware in Austin.

Lowell was a true Renaissance man: a talented artist, an excellent hunter and shooter, an expert ammo re-loader, a skilled knife maker, and a leather holster craftsman. He created numerous paintings and drawings, many of which are treasured by his family and friends. He loved the outdoors and captured numerous ribbons at “Turkey Shoots” with his black powder rifle.

In 2012, Lowell followed his good friend, Joel Pickens, from Austin to the beautiful city of Montrose, Colorado. A few months after arriving, he purchased a home on Oakland Road where his neighbors soon became his second family. Lowell loved Colorado and swore that he would never move back to Austin.

Despite battling Type I diabetes from his teenage years, Lowell lived a long and full life.

Lowell’s family would like to sincerely thank all of you in Montrose who befriended Lowell and helped him out over the past nine years.