Samford University alumna and former trustee Wynema Junkins Lowry died May 16 in her hometown of Cullman, Ala. Funeral services were scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at the First Baptist Church in Cullman. 

Lowry, a 1953 Howard College graduate, served on Samford's board of trustees from 1997 until rotating off the board last year. During that time, she served as assistant secretary and on the student affairs, university relations and executive committees.

Lowry and her husband, Aubrey, a 1957 pharmacy graduate, were actively involved with the university, hosting an annual alumni gathering in Cullman for many years, as well as with financial support for scholarships and other endowments.

Lowry was a retired school teacher. After graduating from Samford, she earned a master's degree from the University of Alabama. In recent years, she had served as vice president and secretary of the family-owned Hospital Discount Pharmacy.

The Lowrys established the Aubrey and Wynema Lowry Endowed Scholarship at Samford to benefit students from smaller high school in rural Alabama counties who have financial need.

Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama State Baptist Convention, praised Lowry's commitment to Samford.  "Wynema and Aubrey loved Samford. They were constantly promoting the cause in the Cullman area. Her passion as a teacher and his education at the pharmacy school, tied them closely to the heart of Samford," he said.

Fellow trustee Beth Thorne Stukes recalled Lowry's service on the board with Stukes' mother, the late Barbara Drummond Thorne. "Mrs. Wynema is so beloved by the Thorne family," Stukes said. "Mrs. Wynema deserves honorable mention for making Barbara Thorne feel at home at Samford. What a blessing she was to my mother. What an inspiration! What a beautiful heart!"

In addition to her husband, Lowry is survived by two daughters: Linda Ann Askins, a 1979 Samford graduate, and Beth Carol Hawley, who attended Samford form 1980-84.