Iva Lowe

Iva M. Lowe, age 98 of Watertown, SD (formerly of Wilmot, SD) passed away on October 29, 2023, in Watertown.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, November 2, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Watertown. Visitation will be held at the church, one hour prior to the service. A private family burial will be held at the Wilmot City Cemetery.

The service will be livestreamed and recorded and viewable below this obituary.

Iva was born on April 20, 1925, on a farm near Summit, SD. She was the daughter of Clem and Lizzy (Stoddard) Pugh. She married Donald Lowe on February 7, 1944. The couple farmed near Summit for two years then moved to a farm near Wilmot and raised their five children. In 1984, the couple moved into the town of Wilmot. In 2011, Iva moved to Arizona. She returned to South Dakota in 2012 and lived at Edgewood Senior Living in Watertown until her death.

Iva loved her family and helping others. She enjoyed volunteering for the prison ministry at Appleton, MN, for two years. She enjoyed spending the winters in Arizona for 15 years. She had a variety of interests including cooking and baking (donuts and pies were her specialty), sewing, crocheting, knitting, embroidery, and quilting. Iva was a faithful member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Wilmot and upon moving to Watertown, become a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. She was a very compassionate and caring person with a positive attitude.

Left to cherish Iva’s memory are her five children: Jane Moen of Sidney, OH; Kathy (Dallas) Schmeling of Twin Brooks, SD; Patricia (Ron) Williams of Watertown, SD; Brian Lowe of Wilmot, SD; Joan (Tom) Kern of Sun Lakes, AZ; 16 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; 12 great-great grandchildren, along with many nieces and nephews.

Iva was preceded in death by her parents: Clem and Lizzy Pugh; her husband, Donnie; her siblings: Marge Amdahl, Donald Pugh, Maxine Owen, Norm Pugh, DeEll Pugh, and John Pugh; her daughter-in-law, Linda Lowe; and her son-in-law, John Moen.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be given to local cancer groups or to cancer research.