Kathy Lowery, SKT Customer Service Representative, has lived in Kansas for 15 years now, but she still gets asked by customers, “Where are you from?” or “Where did you get that accent?” Born in Shelbyville and raised in Waddy, Ky., Kathy grew up on a tobacco and cattle farm with an older sister and a younger brother – smack-dab in the middle! Her early jobs include working part-time on the farm and for the State of Kentucky at Frankfort. While her dad passed away in 2011, Kathy’s mom and most of the rest of her family still live in Kentucky – and she’s the only one in her immediate family to have moved out of that state – first, east to North Carolina when she got married, and then west to Kansas. 

Kathy’s husband, Clay, had always worked in the furniture business, but when that industry foundered in North Carolina, Clay underwent a complete career change which brought him to Wichita for his job, and the family to Clearwater, Kan., to live. Clay says, “God is the one who moved us to Clearwater … Kansas is like the South used to be – family, friends, and people who help each other when in need.” 

Clay and Kathy have two daughters, both of whom are married. Their oldest lives in Denver, N.C., with her husband and the Lowerys’ two granddaughters, and their younger daughter lives in Columbia, Mo., with her husband and one grand dog (so far). 

Kathy enjoys gardening, digging in the dirt, and mowing the yard. She adds, “My husband doesn’t have a chance when it comes to mowing. It’s what I enjoy, and Clay will take on the weed eating. He seems to be okay with this arrangement ….”  

Kathy also enjoys walking and riding her bicycle: “For our anniversary last year, our family gave us a trip and we stayed in the Katy Boxcar B & B at Rocheport, Mo., located right on the Katy Trail. We could ride our bicycles for miles beside the Missouri River!” Closer to home, since the SKT office is only a mile away, Kathy rides her bicycle to work, avoiding the traffic. She says, “It doesn’t take any longer to get to work on my bicycle than it does in my car. Would you believe, in Clearwater there is a small incline – you could say a hill – and I can tell the difference when pedaling on my bicycle? LOL.” 

The Lowerys enjoy visiting towns all around Kansas and use The Kansas Guidebook 2 by Marci Penner & WenDee Rowe to “pick a town, go visit, and mark it off in the guidebook.” Kathy adds, “Working for SKT, we have had the opportunity to volunteer at community events, which have taken us to some of the towns that are in the book.” 

Kathy began working at SKT 10 years ago this past March. She truly enjoys talking to customers and is known for writing long and detailed notes in eLation (SKT’s provisioning and billing system) as she converses with customers, asking them what brought them to the area, how they heard about SKT, etc.  She loves hearing their stories. “Customers are the backbone of our business,” Kathy affirms. Another aspect of working at SKT that she enjoys is that it’s like a family – “everyone seems to care for each other, and we work together as a team. God has blessed us with a great working environment and a great community.”  

Now that the SKT office is open once again (after being closed for over a year because of COVID-19), Kathy reflects back, “We’ve been so fortunate to be able to work from home and keep in touch with others through telephone and Zoom meetings!”