Happy 100th

It hasn’t been an easy life. But it’s been a good life.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s been a hundred years,” said Inez Lowe of Dunkirk. “And I don’t feel like a hundred.”

She was born July 1, 1920, in Logan County, West Virginia.

“It was a little coal-mining town,” she recalled. “My dad was a miner.”

Childhood may have lacked luxuries, but it had other compensations, including her childhood sweetheart.

“We were married very young — at 15 and 17,” said Inez. That was in 1935, when she became the bride of Raymond Lowe, the love of her life. They were married for 73 and a half years before his death in 2006.

Employment in the glass industry brought the couple to Dunkirk in 1958.

She and Raymond worked for nearly 20 years for the glass container plant that was then part of Armstrong Cork and later became Kerr Glass Manufacturing. Today, the same plant is a part of Ardagh Group’s North American Glass division.

Raymond worked in the batch house, and Inez sorted ware.

“We had to watch for defects,” she said. “We had to inspect the ware. … We all worked swing shift.”

It was hard work, but Inez has fond memories of her years at the plant.

“Dunkirk is fortunate to have it,” she said.

By then, the couple had seven children — Warren, Sharon, Deb, Gordon, Clarence, Alton and Virginia — four born before World War II and three after Raymond returned from service in the war. All survive except Sharon, who was lost to cancer seven years ago.

Upon retirement, Raymond and Inez moved to Florida for “26 very happy years.”

When Raymond’s health began to fail, they moved back to Dunkirk to be close to their children.

Since his passing, Inez has continued to live independently at her home on Moore Avenue.

“The kids all come in and help me,” she said. “They don’t hesitate or complain. … I am blessed with having good health.”

She keeps mentally sharp by working puzzles and reading voraciously.

“I could get a lot more done if I didn’t read so much,” she said.

Some sort of 100th birthday celebration is planned, but her children are keeping her in the dark.

“The kids have some kind of surprises,” she said. “They don’t seem to want to talk about it.”

And if someone asks what has sustained her for 100 years, her answer is simple and straightforward:

“My faith and my hard work.

“I don’t think hard work ever hurt anybody.”