Lowell Jan Carraway, the sixth of eight children of Sam and Lydia Carraway, was born on July 4, 1936, in Snow Hill, North Carolina and, after a long illness, passed away peacefully on August 7, 2026, at the age of 90.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lydia Ethel and Sam Reynolds Carraway; his five brothers: Sam, Al, Cecil, Charles, and Gerald Carraway; his two sisters: Jamie Carraway Stocks and Bessie Carraway Price. He was also preceded in death by his beloved wife of 52 years, mother of his children, Sondra Jansen Carraway, and his son-in-law, Freddy Munoz.

He is survived by his wife of 12 years, Betty Jean Stoesser Carraway; his two daughters, Sabra Jan Carraway King of Dayton and Rhonda Jean Carraway Munoz of Mont Belvieu; four grandchildren: Erika King Hall and husband, Andrew, of Dayton; Kraig Austin King and wife, Cortny, of Montgomery; Shane Williams of Dayton; Sarah Blanchard and husband, Ricky, of Mont Belvieu. Also surviving him are six great-grandchildren: Elijah Williams and wife, Abby; Gavin Williams; Carter Paul Blanchard; Rafe Keith Blanchard; Rose Austin King; and Lainey Lynn King; and sister-in-law Gwen Carraway of Kinston, North Carolina. Others include stepsons, John Edward Griffin of San Antonio, and Greg Phillip Griffin and wife, Katherine, and their sons, Zachary Joseph Griffin and Caleb Micah Griffin of Portland, Oregon.

After graduating from Snow Hill High School in eastern North Carolina, Lowell enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving from 1954 to 1958, including one year in the Arctic region of Thule Air Force Base in Greenland. After being honorably discharged from the military, Lowell moved to Texas where he graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Law and Economics. He married Sondra Jean Jansen in 1960, and they lived in several Texas cities. While in Lubbock, he served as a pilot with the Civil Air Patrol, flying missions along the Texas-Mexico border in search of illegal drug traffickers.

Lowell attended Trinity Theological Seminary in Newburg, Indiana, where he graduated with a Master of Arts degree and was awarded a “Pastoral Ministry with Distinction” diploma, eventually earning his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Tyndale Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Lowell continually “searched the Scriptures daily” and witnessed great things in the lives of people with whom he shared God’s Word. Dr. Carraway was a member of First Baptist Church, Dayton, and enjoyed many years teaching Bible classes there.

While in Houston and Lubbock, he was employed by Southwestern Bell and pastored churches in Lubbock and later in Dayton, McAllen, and Votaw. The emphasis of Dr. Carraway’s ministry created 35 years of intermittent mission work in Kenya and South Africa where he loved preaching in the “bush”—the wild, undeveloped land outside the cities in Kenya. He oversaw the construction of 10 churches in the Rift Valley area of Kenya, as well as a seminary in East Kenya near the border of Tanzania. He also taught at Kenya’s Theological College at Brackenhurst.

Sincere love and appreciation is extended to the wonderful friends and family who brought through prayers, cards, food and many other acts of kindness, brought tears of joy and loving memories throughout the last days we shared with our beloved Lowell. We are also grateful for the loving care provided by our cherished nurse, Lorraine Orasco and by the caregivers of Gentiva Hospice. We were wonderfully blessed each step of the way. He will be missed by each member of his family and many other relatives and friends here, as well as those in Kenya, South Africa, Spain, Costa Rica and all over the world, who first heard the Word of God from “Brother Lowell.”

The family will receive friends at Pace Stancil Funeral Home, 1304 N. Cleveland St., Dayton, TX 77535, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Visitation will begin at 12:00 noon, with Services to follow at 1:00 o’clock.