Mary Ann Lowary

Mary Ann Lowary (Akers) – Waukee, IA passed away at the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, IA on October 18, 2025, after a short illness.

Mary Ann was born on March 16, 1942, on the Akers’ family farm in Albany, Missouri. She grew up in Albany, the youngest of four children of William Correll (W.C., Carl) and Eunice (Kidwell) Akers. She enjoyed rural life in NW Missouri and was known by her friends and family in that area as Mert, a nickname her older brother, who she adored, gave her.

She graduated from Albany High School and attended the University of Missouri (Columbia), graduating in 1964 with a degree in Archaeology. She was headed off to the Peace Corps in Afghanistan, but chose to marry and raise a family instead.

Starting from when her children were young, Mary Ann worked as a newspaper owner/editor/photographer in various small-town newspapers in Missouri and Montana. This includes The Big Timber Pioneer (Big Timber, Montana), The Daily News (Richmond, Missouri), The Stillwater County News (Columbus, Montana) and the Oak Grove Banner (Oak Grove, Missouri). Later in life she worked in communications roles at both Northwest Missouri State University (Maryville, Missouri) and Graceland University (Lamoni, Iowa).

After retiring, Mary Ann moved to Iowa to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. In retirement, she enjoyed reading and spending time with friends and family. She spent time with her dog Lady who brought her much joy and, on a slippery winter morning 10 years ago, a broken ankle. She never would admit the dog causing her to fall bolting after a rabbit or some other creature, but we all knew it. Mary Ann also was keenly interested in history and genealogical research, and she spent countless hours reading archived newspapers from Albany, Bethany and New Hampton spanning the late 1800s to the present, sharing what she found with family and friends.

Mary Ann was a proud mother and grandmother. Her children will be eternally grateful that she supported them to pursue their dreams in life although this often caused her to worry. This included her son working and living halfway around the world and her daughter’s enjoyment of Mexican vacations.

Mary Ann was fiercely independent and a self-described, unapologetic bleeding-heart liberal who carried her heart on her sleeve. A career woman and a single mother at a time when neither were common, she was a strong proponent for women’s rights. A sign by her desk read “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”. Throughout her life, Mary Ann was an avid reader, enjoying time spent in many public libraries. She was an advocate for education for all and an active supporter of NPR and PBS. She was not a thrill-seeker, but her final days included a helicopter ride, the necessity of which she questioned.

As a journalist, Mary Ann strongly believed in Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, truth, democracy, equality and fairness. These beliefs were core to her identity and how she raised her children. She instilled in her children the importance of hard work, education, civic responsibility, humility, honesty, compassion, empathy, watching out for the little guy, grammar and the need to check the door at least 20 times before leaving home to ensure it was locked. Her children will always remember her as persuasive to the point that she almost always got things done ‘her way’, and the way she left the world was no different – on her own terms with minimal fuss.

She is survived by her children Todd Lowary (Ronnie) (Taipei, Taiwan) and Shannon Kern (Waukee, Iowa) as well as two grandchildren – Emma Kern (Kansas City, Missouri) and Max Kern (West Des Moines Iowa). A sister Ruth Woody (Kansas City, Missouri), sister-in-law Elaine Akers (Albany, Missouri) and many nieces, nephews and friends also survive her.

She was preceded in death by her parents W.C. and Eunice Akers, her sister Virginia Collier, her brother Frank Akers, brothers-in-law Wendell Woody and Ora Collier Junior, and her dog Lady.

Mary Ann requested that no memorial service be held. To honor her memory, you could scratch a dog behind its ears, donate blood, do something for someone less fortunate than you and make sure you vote (in every single election!). Memorial contributions may be made to your local PBS/NPR station or animal shelter, or the Albany Missouri Carnegie Library where her love for reading and knowledge started many years ago as a little girl.