Jim Meenan and Courtney Crowder
To understand Helen Mae Lowery’s secret to longevity, you got to hit the sidewalk.
For 97 years, Helen walked everywhere, her family said. She never owned a car and often eschewed public transportation, preferring to stroll.
She also didn’t drink, prayed regularly and always offered a hand to neighbors when asked.
“She also took care of the needy,” said her grandson, Michael Lowery. “She would give to people that needed it, fix dinners for people. She did it all.”
Even though Helen had what seemed like boundless energy, it wasn’t enough to fight the coronavirus seeping into her lungs. Diagnosed with pneumonia and COVID, Helen died in late October after being released from the hospital without her family’s knowledge and found, a few days later, unconscious in her apartment. She finally succumbed to the disease at the hospital after two days on a ventilator.