OK Minis Miniature Horse Farm

Quinton Lowe remembered as a ‘great all-around’ kid

Contributed photo

Quinton Lowe

By David McGee | Staff Writer / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: January 5, 2010

BLUFF CITY, Tenn. – Quinton Lowe was remembered as a “great all-around” kid by a principal and pastor Monday, who said his absence will leave a gaping hole when students return today to Sullivan East High School.

The 17-year-old died Dec. 27 of injuries suffered in a Dec. 19 tractor accident. A crowd of more than 1,500 attended his funeral service New Year’s Day in the school gym.

“Quinton was well liked by everyone. He was very popular, and he always had a smile on his face,” EHS Principal Angie Buckles said in a phone interview Monday. “It’s just a tragedy.”

School system counselors and clergy members will be at the school to help returning students deal with their grief, Buckles said.

“It’s going to be a tough day. His mother does so much for our school, and his grandmother is a special education aide who is here every day,” Buckles said. “They’ve [students] started grieving – at the memorial service and in their youth group – but coming back to school is going to be different.”

The accident happened when Lowe was using a tractor to plow snow from his grandmother’s driveway, according to Brad Perry, youth minister of Poplar Ridge Christian Church and a longtime friend of the Lowe family.

“It was the day after that big snow, and he was hooking the tractor up to a scraper blade,” Perry said. “Apparently, the tractor started sliding and he jumped off or fell off and was pinned between the tractor tire and his grandmother’s van. It was just one of those freak accidents you really can’t explain.”

Quinton was transported to Johnson City Medical Center, where he remained in intensive care for a week.

“At first, the doctors were somewhat optimistic, but on day three, the swelling began and things went downhill from there,” Perry said.

The teenager was vice president of the school’s Future Farmers of America chapter, a member of Sullivan County Young Farmers and Ranchers and an avid motocross motorcycle rider.

He was also one of the loudest supporters at Patriot ball games, Perry said.

“He was the life of the student section,” the youth minister said. “He and his brothers rang cowbells at East High football games. He had this cowbell that must have weighed 40 or 50 pounds. He was extremely fun to be around – always smiling, always laughing. He was just so full of life.”

Lowe also was an active member in the Poplar Ridge Christian Church youth group.

“He was a practical joker,” Perry said. “He would tape up the spray hose at the sink so you’d get all wet, or pour water in our waders at church, which we use in the baptistry.”

Survivors include his parents, Brian Lowe of Bristol, Tenn., and Angie Lowe of Bluff City; three brothers and three grandparents.