BIOGRAPHY

Agnes Lowe was born in Collinsville, Connecticut, USA, on 23 October 1907, as the second-oldest daughter of Slovak immigrants, Joseph Matava and Catherine Tomala. Her father worked as a grinder of axes and machetes at the Collins Company and passed away from lung disease in 1914. When her mother died in 1917, Agnes and her four sisters were separated and went to live with different families, mostly in Torrington.

At 14, Lowe spent eight hours a day working at the Excelsior Needle Co. in Torrington, earning $5 a week—the exact amount charged by the family that took her in for room and board.

At some point, she married Wilfred Lawrence Lowe, and the couple had a daughter, Mary Ellen Moyher. She separated from her husband when their daughter was just two years old due to his drinking. He passed away 11 years later. In her 40s, Lowe was diagnosed with cancer and given only three to six months to live. She underwent a hysterectomy followed by a yearlong recovery. As a single working mother, she took on various factory jobs, working along the assembly lines at Waterbury Pen Co. and Remington Arms in Bridgeport, commuting by bus each day.

Agnes Lowe passed away in Shelton, Connecticut, USA, on 19 March 2020, at the age of 112 years, 148 days. She was survived by one daughter, Mary Ellen, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

Lowe’s age was validated by the GRG on 3 February 2020. The validation was later recognized by LongeviQuest.

ATTRIBUTION

* “110 Year Old Woman Visits Her Childhood Home in Collinsville (Canton), CT.” – Canton Historical Museum, 11 June 2018

* “Collinsville woman recalls Christmas memories” – Today Magazine, page 10-11, December 2019

* “112-year-old Shelton woman may join world supercentenarian rankings” – New Haven Register, 18 January 2020

* Agnes Lowe Obituary – Legacy

GALLERY