Steven Lowry - entire area stunned by death of popular young man

The village of Ahoghill and wider Ballymena borough has been left shocked and saddened by the sudden death of 27-year-old Steven Lowry.

The young Ahoghill man who was well known and respected in local sporting circles, passed away last Tuesday evening shortly after returning from training at the local football fields.

It is understood Mr Lowry was at the home of his fiancee Kathryn when he took ill. The couple had just got engaged in recent months.

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An ambulance was called and the crew worked on Mr Lowry for an hour, but he could not be saved.

He was the captain of Ahoghill Rovers and a member of the D Lowry & Sons partnership who race in the Ahoghill Flying Club.

A past pupil of Cullybackey High School, he lived in Ahoghill and worked part-time in the Diamond Bar where he was a barman.

Manager of the Bar, John Small, said Steven, who had been working there five or six years, was a very popular young man, well known and liked in the village.

‘TRUE GENTLEMAN’

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Mr Lowry was also a past member of Glenhugh Flute Band who posted a tribute to him on their website.

Scores if not hundreds of Tributes to him have also been left on his Facebook page, with many grieving friends remembering him as a “true gent”, on the pitch and off it; a young man who was ‘always smiling’.

Ahoghill Rovers’ match, due to be played at the weekend against Carniny Rangers, was among a number of matches cancelled in the Saturday Morning League as a mark of respect to the hugely popular team captain. Tributes were led by the chairman Davy King who described Mr Lowry’s death as “a terrible loss of a bright, fun-loving young footballer”.

At the handful of matches which were played, a minute’s silence was observed.

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Ahoghill Flying Club also cancelled the weekly show as a mark of respect and the local Fancy extended their sincere condolences to the Lowry family circle.

Ahoghill Councillor Roy Gillespie said his thoughts and prayers were with the Lowry family and said the local community had been ‘absolutely shocked’ by Mr Lowry’s untimely death.

And, as the 27-year-old was laid to rest on Saturday, the village of Ahoghill came to a complete standstill.

Mr Lowry was interred at Brookside Presbyterian Church burying ground on Saturday following a funeral service in his home at The Croft, Ahoghill.

He is survived by his parents David and Karen, his brother Gareth, and fiancee Kathryn.

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