Boy, 13, dies while trick or treating

ANDY LOWERY Students and teachers at Ewing Middle School are mourning the loss of a 13-yearold student who died suddenly Wednesday while trick-or-treating.

"We are heartbroken," Caitlin Kolodzy, one of Andy Lowery's teachers, said. "We never thought something like this would happen."

Andy, a seventh-grader, collapsed in the driveway of a residence on Marietta Road shortly before 9 p.m. and was pronounced dead at Upstate Carolina Medical Center a short time later.

Most students and teachers at the school learned of Lowery's death early Thursday.

"Once I heard of his death I was devastated," Andy's art teacher Judy Perry said. "All I could do was gasp and cry."

Counselors were dispatched to the school to meet with upset students and personnel.

"Things are definitely sad around here as teachers and students are upset," Principal Denise Wooten said. "Of course everyone will take this hard, but we will continue to work so everyone can help each other."

Andy was remembered as a kind young man who loved to learn and help others.

"He was very polite and respectful, and definitely left an impression on me that I will never forget," Andy's discovery science and math teacher Cindy Joyce said. "He wanted to be part of the school environment and was willing to learn and make a try at anything."

A photo of the teen had recently been placed in the school's main hall in recognition of his selection as Student of the Month.

"Yesterday, he made 100 on a test, which he was very happy about," Kolodzy said. "That was what I saw of him every day. He was a teacher's dream and I will miss him."

Wooten said the school is considering ways to honor Andy's memory. The principal mentioned the possibility of collecting donations for his family, a memorial service or the school dedicating a tree or its yearbook in his honor.

"All we are trying to do is find the best way to honor his memory," Wooten said. "We are tossing things up at the moment, but right now all we can do is let things sink in and take their course before we decide to do anything."

Andy was the son of Charlie Eugene Lowery Sr. and Judy Williams Lowery.

The complete obituary appears on page 8A.