Bill Lower was born March 23, 1917, in Swissvale to Raymond Clyde and Viola Lower. He and his two sisters were raised in the Pittsburgh area.

In 1945, Bill met and married Sarah Isabel "Sally" Moore. They raised their three children on the family farm in Evans City in the house that Bill built in the mid 1950s.

Bill was a lifelong learner and educator. He received a bachelor's degree in agricultural science from Penn State in 1939, a master's degree in education and guidance in Pennsylvania and a second master's degree in avian science at Colorado State University in 1973.

His teaching career in Pennsylvania began in 1939 when he taught vocational agriculture at the high school level until 1964. From 1965 to 1975, he taught science at the junior high level. After moving to Colorado and earning his degree there, he was a technician at CSU's research farms until 1982.

Bill also had a career in the military that spanned 35 years. He began his service in active duty with the Army Air Corps during World War II. He was stationed in North Africa and Corsica from 1941 to 1945 and received numerous awards and decorations for his service.

Following the war, he remained active in the Air Force Reserve, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel retiring in 1977.

In addition to his roles as husband, father, student, teacher, farmer, builder and soldier, Bill had may other interests. He truly was a farmer at heart and always had chickens to raise, a vegetable garden to tend and an orchard to enjoy. He belonged to several agricultural associations, visited poultry farms in Korea and China and did volunteer consulting work with Chinese commercial poultry farmers in 1986.

He helped his son, Tom, operate his farm machinery business in Evans City before moving to Colorado.

Bill liked woodworking and took great pride in the tools of that trade. He loved music and played several instruments. After he retired, he became the Lower family historian and did extensive genealogical research. This led him to travel to Europe with Sally to trace his roots.

Bill died Nov. 2, 2004, at Poudre Valley Hospital after a long battle with cancer. He will be missed by many.

He is survived by his wife, Sally Lower; sisters, Isabel Giblon of New Jersey and Jeanne Hershey of Indianapolis, Ind.; three children, Tom Lower of Mars, Rick Lower of Portland, Ore., and Sara Jo Lower of Fort Collins. Colo. He will be missed by eight grandchildren, who loved him very much, and by many colleagues and friends all over the world.