KONAWA, Okla. -- Pottawatomie County sheriff deputies were remembered Saturday by friends and colleagues as helpful, friendly men.
Deputies Tim Lowry and Mike Roberts were killed Friday night on State Highway 39 when their patrol car collided with a tractor-trailer while the two men were serving warrants.
Lowry, 56, spent his days as a technology consultant for Ada Public Schools but he also loved being a reserve deputy, longtime friend Sharon Semtner said.
"Being a deputy was something he was very proud of, he loved to serve the community, that's the kind of man he was," she said.
Lowry was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Konawa. Around the church he was known as the "fix it" guy.
"He was really handy," friend Joe Semtner said.
"He was the guy that got it done. If we had an audiovisual problem, he could fix it. If the well needed to be fixed, he was the guy who did it. Everyone is going to have to step up and take his place," he said.
Joe Semtner said Lowry and his wife, Kathy, have three grown children. He said Lowry always was prepared for anything.
Semtner said when Lowry's daughter decided she wanted to ride a bike to get in shape, she went out to her dad's home workshop and picked one out. Only problem was it had two flat tires.
"He told her to go look in the corner and sure enough there were several boxes of brand-new inner tubes," Semtner said. "You won't find too many people who keep those around the house, but he did. Tim was prepared for just about anything."
Beyond his knack for fixing things and his work in law enforcement, Lowry was just an all-around good guy.
"He was a wonderful husband, father and friend," Joe Semtner said.
Pottawatomie County Sheriff Mike Booth praised both men.
"They've been around for a long time and they've done a lot of a great work," Booth said.
"It's a huge loss for these families, and it's a huge loss for this county and law enforcement in general."
Lowry and Roberts worked for the sheriff's department for more than 20 years. Booth said both men always were willing to help others, and both were big family men. They served as mentors to other deputies.
Roberts, 45, never met a stranger, Booth said.
"Whatever it was you were doing, if he walked up on you, he would just jump right in there with both feet and help you out," Booth said.
Roberts worked for the city of Shawnee for many years before dedicating his time to helping his father on their family farm. He had a wife and five daughters, Booth said.
"There was usually some experience that Mike could tell you about he had that would relate to whatever you were doing," Booth said.
The accident is still under investigation, trooper Betsy Randolph said. Blood samples were drawn from the driver of the truck but that is standard procedure for a fatality accident, Randolph said.
It is not known whether or not charges will be filed.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
