1933
Lowell
2016
Lowell John Sterling
January 12, 1933 — January 2, 2016
SPECIAL NOTE: FOR PERSONS WHO PLAN TO ATTEND THE FUNERAL, THE ONLY ENTRANCE AVAILABLE TO YOU AT JOHN ADAMS MIDDLE SCHOOL WILL BE DOOR #9, LOCATED OFF THE PUBLIC PARKING LOT NEAR THE BACK OF THE SCHOOL. THANK YOU.
Funeral services for Lowell Sterling will be held Saturday January 9th at 11:00 AM at the John Adams Middle School, 1525 31st St. NW, in Rochester. Mr. Roy Williams and Mr. Jake Nelson will officiate. Burial will follow at Pine Island Cemetery. Mr. Sterling, 82, of Pine Island, died Saturday January 2, 2016 at his home. He had been under hospice care.
Lowell John Sterling was born January 12, 1933 to John and Lucille (Accola) Sterling in Vallejo, California. His early years were mostly in California where his parents had a residential grocery store in Oakland. In 1940 they bought a farm in Dodge County, Minnesota and Lowell remembered the Great Blizzard of November 11. He went six years to a one room country school and four years to West Concord High School. He left home at the age of 20 and worked a few months in Oakland for Bell Telephone Co. before being drafted into the Army. He spent nine months in Korea, six months in Hawaii, and then was honorably discharged.
In the spring of 1956 his parents sold the farm and moved to Chico, California. Lowell moved there shortly thereafter. One job he had was working for a bee keeper, mostly in Montana, for a few weeks. He eventually partnered with his father, buying a farm in Dodge County, and they worked together until his father died in 1973.
On August 26, 1961 he married Lois Zimmerli and spent the next 28 years on the dairy farm where they raised two boys and two girls. In 1989 they sold the farm and moved to a country place near Rochester for seven years. While there, Lowell cut and sold firewood in the Rochester area. In 1996 they moved to a 20 acre place east of Rochester with a view of Silver Creek Reservoir. There they planted strawberries, raspberries, and Concord grapes, in 14 years of trial and error developing a successful business. In 2010 they sold the berry farm and moved to a retirement home near Pine Island where he planted an orchard of fruit trees.
Lowell is survived by his wife Lois Sterling of Pine Island; two sons, Laurence Sterling of Kansas City, Missouri, Charles (Dorie) Sterling of Omaha, Nebraska; two daughters, Sarah (Marty Downs) Sterling of Portland, Oregon, Melissa (Randal) Braund of Alexandria, Minnesota; eight grandchildren, Tony Sterling, Fabian Beltran-Sterling, Eric Sterling, Alex Sterling, Brin Sterling, Jesse Braund, Sonja Braund, and Sterling Braund. Also surviving is his sister, Grace Shahrokh of Weaverville, North Carolina, two nieces and one nephew.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and a grandson Jonas Braund.
Visitation will be Saturday 9:30 to 11:00 AM at John Adams Middle School. Online tributes are being welcomed, and may be written at this website.
1525 31st Street NW
Rochester, MN 55901
1525 31st Street NW
Rochester, MN 55901
Funeral services for Lowell Sterling will be held Saturday January 9th at 11:00 AM at the John Adams Middle School, 1525 31st St. NW, in Rochester. Mr. Roy Williams and Mr. Jake Nelson will officiate. Burial will follow at Pine Island Cemetery. Mr. Sterling, 82, of Pine Island, died Saturday January 2, 2016 at his home. He had been under hospice care.
Lowell John Sterling was born January 12, 1933 to John and Lucille (Accola) Sterling in Vallejo, California. His early years were mostly in California where his parents had a residential grocery store in Oakland. In 1940 they bought a farm in Dodge County, Minnesota and Lowell remembered the Great Blizzard of November 11. He went six years to a one room country school and four years to West Concord High School. He left home at the age of 20 and worked a few months in Oakland for Bell Telephone Co. before being drafted into the Army. He spent nine months in Korea, six months in Hawaii, and then was honorably discharged.
In the spring of 1956 his parents sold the farm and moved to Chico, California. Lowell moved there shortly thereafter. One job he had was working for a bee keeper, mostly in Montana, for a few weeks. He eventually partnered with his father, buying a farm in Dodge County, and they worked together until his father died in 1973.
On August 26, 1961 he married Lois Zimmerli and spent the next 28 years on the dairy farm where they raised two boys and two girls. In 1989 they sold the farm and moved to a country place near Rochester for seven years. While there, Lowell cut and sold firewood in the Rochester area. In 1996 they moved to a 20 acre place east of Rochester with a view of Silver Creek Reservoir. There they planted strawberries, raspberries, and Concord grapes, in 14 years of trial and error developing a successful business. In 2010 they sold the berry farm and moved to a retirement home near Pine Island where he planted an orchard of fruit trees.
Lowell is survived by his wife Lois Sterling of Pine Island; two sons, Laurence Sterling of Kansas City, Missouri, Charles (Dorie) Sterling of Omaha, Nebraska; two daughters, Sarah (Marty Downs) Sterling of Portland, Oregon, Melissa (Randal) Braund of Alexandria, Minnesota; eight grandchildren, Tony Sterling, Fabian Beltran-Sterling, Eric Sterling, Alex Sterling, Brin Sterling, Jesse Braund, Sonja Braund, and Sterling Braund. Also surviving is his sister, Grace Shahrokh of Weaverville, North Carolina, two nieces and one nephew.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and a grandson Jonas Braund.
Visitation will be Saturday 9:30 to 11:00 AM at John Adams Middle School. Online tributes are being welcomed, and may be written at this website.
Visitation
JAN 9. 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM (CST)
John Adams Middle School1525 31st Street NW
Rochester, MN 55901
Service
JAN 9. 11:00 AM (CST)
John Adams Middle School1525 31st Street NW
Rochester, MN 55901
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