Obituary notice for
Lenus Lowney 25
Dec. 26, 1936 ~ Apr. 05, 1962
Butte Man Killed in Car Plunge
Lenus Lowney, 25, Butte native and teacher at Hysham High School, died instantly Thursday in a spectacular wreck in which his car plunged 225 feet from an overpass near Billings.
Two of his high school students he was bringing to Butte for an overnight stay were hospitalized in Billings.
Lowney, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Lowney, 417 N. Excelsior, was a science teacher at Hysham. He was taking Ronald Thomas, 16, and Ronald Rainke, also 16, both students in his science class to the State Science Fair at Montana State University in Missoula. The plan was for him to house the students here Thursday night and proceed to Missoula Friday.
The accident occurred three miles west of Billings at the Shilo overpass. Officers theorized that heavy winds may have blown the car out of control and over the right side of the overpass.
All three occupants were thrown from the catapulting vehicle. Lowney was dead when an unidentified traveling salesman arrived on the scene.
Thomas and Rainke were removed to a Billings hospital. The body of their teacher will be brought here to the Duggan Merrill Mortuary.
The fatality brought Montana's 1962 highway death toll to 42, compared to 58 on this date a year ago.
The Butte man was born Dec. 26, 1936. He attended Immaculate Conception Grade School and graduated from Butte High School in 1956. He earned a bachelor of science degree at Montana State College and last year received a master degree in biology at the Bozeman college. He went to Hysham last fall for his first teaching assignment.
His father is an engineer at the Silver Bow General Hospital. Surviving besides his parents are four brothers, Jerry Jr., David, Ronald and Kevin, and sisters, Cheryl and Charmaine and Jeanine. He was not married.
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Page created: Jan. 17, 2014 and modified: Jan. 19, 2014