Ingrid S (Hill) Lowery passed away on July 21, 2026 at the age of 104. She lived in her home until the last week of her life after a fall necessitated hospital care. She was mostly independent until the age of 99 when she and her son-in-law were in a car accident which changed her life drastically. Up until then she was driving to pick up her mail in Bryantville and having lunch in the local deli. She was able to stay at home and enjoy some car trips because of the help and kindness of friends - Allie, Melodie, Debbie, Jenny and especially Tricia.

 Her parents were Finnish immigrants who came separately to the US on the Lusitania - John Gummerus and Ida Piispanen - in the early 1900s. Inkie was born in Carver, MA but the family eventually moved to Bryantville when she was about 8. Her mother gave birth to her while scooping cranberries on the bog. She grew up with a sauna and an outhouse. Her father planted cranberry bogs and started a sand and gravel company. He changed his last name to Hill, probably for business reasons. She only spoke Finnish and some Portuguese when she went to first grade. The bog workers' children, whom she played with, were from Cape Verde. They supposedly collected pitch from pine trees and chewed it like gum. Family and friends dry picked the cranberries every September until the 80s.

Inkie graduated from Pembroke High School in 1939, the last surviving member in a class of 22. In her high school yearbook she was listed as most happy-go-lucky. In her husband John's yearbook she was listed as the best freshman class basketball player. After high school she attended Brockton Business College getting a degree in the secretarial course. Her grades were mostly As with a few Bs. After graduation she began working for Ocean Spray in accounts receivable and stayed with the company until the age of 69. She took 6 years off after her daughter Susan was born in 1957, although occasionally did some work for them from home. She knew shorthand, could type 100 words a minute and was a whiz on an adding machine. She also did the accounting for her father's business until it closed. The Bryantville Methodist church was a large part of her life for many years - singing in the choir, working on the Christmas fair and other fundraisers, and keeping its books into her 90s. Inkie was also a member of the Eastern Star for many years. Some of her past pleasures included ceramics, needlepoint, visiting Saquish and spending time with friends and family. Inkie and John would occasionally visit John's army buddies in Kansas, Colorado, California and NY. She loved to shop, especially clothes. Talbots will miss her. She wasn't a great cook but loved to eat. Her glowing compliments of home-cooked meals and her joyous consumption of donuts and lobster rolls showed this was one of her lasting and endearing pleasures in life. Until her vision started failing she was an avid fan of the UConn men and women's basketball teams especially the women - the Patriots and the Celtics. She was even known to bet on some Patriot games once in a while. Most of her friends were from Ocean Spray, high school and the church. Susan knew many of them from her childhood - the Nummis, the Doyles, the Fergusons, the Crowells, the Sayces, the Hills, the Osbornes and many others. Susan had a lot of "aunts".

She married her neighbor, John Lowery, at the age of 30. They had grown up across the street from each other but didn't date until after WWII. In 1951 they moved into their home on Center Street and never left. Inkie leaves behind one daughter and son-in-law, Susan Lowery and Roy Zagieboylo of Glastonbury, CT, and one grandson and granddaughter-in-law, Drew Zagieboylo and Adrienne Zagieboylo of Framingham, MA. She adored her only grandson and enjoyed spending vacations with the family. Inkie accompanied Susan and her family on trips to California, Costa Rica, Colorado, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Las Vegas and all over New England. In 1984 she travelled to Finland for a month with her husband and the Nummis to visit relatives. She was predeceased by her husband John and two brothers, Eino and John. How do you sum up a 104 year old life? She epitomized the concept of Sisu - a Finnish term for grit and determination. She will be remembered for her kindness, generosity and tenacity.

Mom's obituary As the Wizard of Oz said to the Tin Man "A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others". She will be missed.

Services will be held at Shepherd Funeral home in Kingston, MA on October 17 at 10 AM. reception after the service will be announced at the memorial.