Remembering Wayne Lowe

“Replace the ‘w’ with a ‘v’ in his last name, and that describes Mr. Lowe best,” said Chuck Shaheen, former mayor of Warner Robins. “He was love, and he shared his love with everyone he met.”

Shaheen’s summation of Lowe seems to be one that is shared by many of the citizens in Houston County and beyond. Words like “friend,” “leader,” “humble,” “gentle” and “generous” were frequently heard as other leaders in the community shared thoughts and memories of Robert “Wayne” Lowe, known best by most as the owner of Lowe Toyota. But he was much more to those who knew him well.

“He worked every single day to make Warner Robins the best city in the country. He was my dearest friend and mentor,” Shaheen told Houston Home Journal.

The world of Lowe’s untimely passing quickly spread through media outlets and word of mouth on Tuesday. Lowe died unexpectedly following a medical procedure, and his passing shocked his friends and constituents.

Houston County Board of Commissioners Chairman Tommy Stalnaker described Lowe as a “gentle giant” and as one who helped people and was generous in sharing his resources with others. Stalnaker was asleep when his phone began receiving notifications that he would not see until he got up Tuesday morning.

“The surgery went fine, based on what the first text said,” Stalnaker cited. “And then about 5:15 or 5:20, I got another text. Again, I was not up at the time, but that person advised me about what had occurred. When I got up at 6:45 and turned on my cell phone and saw the different texts, I just felt very sad and very nauseated,” the chairman shared. “Wayne was just a giant of a man; a gentle giant of a man.”

Stalnaker and Lowe went back over six decades. “I go back into the 60s with him, and I’ve known him on a personal level since the 70s.” The two men had attended First United Methodist Church together since ’78 or ‘79, based on Stalnaker’s recollection. Over the years at their church, they served side-by-side on finance committees and administrative boards.

“He was a very Christian-minded man who helped the community in so many different ways. Take the Museum of Aviation and the 21st Century Partnership,” Stalnaker enumerated. “You can take the different sponsorships that he did for different organizations—even our church. Our services are televised live every Sunday, and Lowe Toyota is the sponsor for that.”

Stalnaker mentioned the purchase of a building from Lowe where the Synergy Center is now going. “In our negotiations with him, he was as committed to making that become a reality with Robins Air Force Base as Houston County was. It’s those kinds of things. He just cared about the community. He cared about Houston County. He cared about middle Georgia. He cared about Warner Robins. He just cared. He was just a giving man with such a kind heart. To sum it all up, he was a valued friend.”

Darlene McClendon took over as the president and CEO of the Museum of Aviation a little over a year ago. She admitted that she didn’t know Lowe well on a personal basis, but she said she could still confidently speak to his character and how helpful Lowe was.

“He was a very involved supporter of the Museum of Aviation Foundation and our National STEM Academy,” she said. “Mr. Lowe was instrumental in the beginning of the museum, and he continued to be involved through the years supporting the foundation.”

McClendon said in Lowe’s earlier years with the museum, she was not there, but she knew of Lowe’s reputation of being visible and involved. Since taking on her role, she had seen his dedication for herself, and she said that it went far beyond dollars and cents.

“He was a great financial sponsor, yes, but he was just a great man and a great cheerleader of the museum. He made sure that it stayed on the radar of other community and philanthropic leaders. That’s one of the largest supports that any foundation can ask for. He lent his voice to the museum foundation.”

McClendon said that she wasn’t privy to any health issues that Lowe had, so his passing came suddenly and without warning. “When I received the text, I was very shocked and very saddened. I felt like I’d just begun to get to know him better when I took on this position in the summer of 2019. He will truly, truly be missed. Not just in middle Georgia, but statewide.”

Dr. K. Scott Malone first got to know Lowe as a patient, but he said that their relationship developed into one of a like-minded friendship. “I’m a physician by profession, but I also have a lot of entrepreneurial concepts that I work on,” Malone said. “Over time, a couple of those ideas blended into some of the stuff Wayne was working on, and we decided, that rather than going separate paths, to work together.”

Scott shared what amazed him most about Lowe was how humble and kind he remained despite his extraordinary success as a businessman. “Most people that become successful in business to the level that he was, they get there by being ruthless,” he said. “Wayne got there by being a gentle servant who gave more than he got. There are so many things that he did that people will never know about because he never made it public.”

Recalling times when he sat one-on-one with Lowe in private conversations, Scott said, “I learned more things that he did that I had no idea about; things that were instrumental in the growth of Warner Robins and played key factors in Houston County and middle Georgia. And not just here,” Scott added, “but he had far-reaching tentacles that went all the way into D.C.”

Scott knew about Lowe’s hospitalization and surgical procedure, but the outcome was unexpected. Regardless, Scott has no doubt that Lowe was ready to meet the Lord. “He called me the Thursday morning before he passed, he called me and said, ‘I do want them to do everything they can, but I’ve prayed about it, and I told the Lord that if he was ready to take me, I’m ready to go.’ He was just an amazing person,” Scott surmised. “I don’t know what else to say. It’s just a big loss. This was rapid. Nobody expected this except the good Lord. He just called Wayne, and it was his time to go.”

“Mr. Lowe was a self-made success story,” Chuck Shaheen said. “He was a genuine person and a true icon to our city. There will never be another Wayne Lowe.”

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