The Life of Lowell Hunter Gypson III

The Life of Lowell Hunter Gypson III March 5, 1951 – April 28, 2026 Lowell Hunter Gypson III was born on March 5, 1951, in Albany, New York, to Lowell Hunter Gypson II and Barbara Knox Gypson. He grew up alongside his sister "Bobbie," eight years his senior, and later welcomed his little brother John, eight years his junior — a family he loved dearly and stood happily in the middle of.

Some of his earliest and most cherished memories were rooted in the world his family introduced him to. He shared his father's and grandfather's enthusiasm for antique cars through the Albany Antique Car Association and made regular trips to Rhinebeck to watch vintage airplanes at the airshows there.

But perhaps no place captured his imagination quite like what he simply called "The Farm" — the Ten Eyck house, a historic landmark built in 1758, owned by his grandparents on his mother's side, Olivia and Warren Knox, known affectionately to the family as "Leafy" and "BumBum." It was a hundred rolling acres with horses, a stream, fireplaces in every room, and secret passageways. It was the kind of place that stays with a person for life. 

Lowell received his secondary education at the Albany Academy, one of the oldest private schools in the country. It was there that he discovered Barbershop Quartet singing, a passion he pursued with genuine enthusiasm. He became a proud member of SPEBSQSA — the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America — and performed and competed across New York with his quartet, The Guess What Four. 

Music ran deep in him from an early age. He was an avid drummer and an enthusiastic collector of records, and there was rarely a quiet moment in his home if he could help it. 

After the Albany Academy, he went on to Ithaca College, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Radio and Communications. He worked as a disc jockey at the college radio station and had the memorable experience of studying under Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone — a fitting connection for a man who loved a great story. 

During his sophomore year in 1970, a class writing assignment sent him to interview Ernie Andrews of The Love Inn, a local gathering place connected to Campus Crusade for Christ. Through a series of honest, searching conversations with Ernie, Lowell gave his life to Christ and became a Christian — a decision that would direct everything that followed. 

That same year he met Wendy, through mutual friends. He invited her to church, she too came to faith in Christ in 1971, and together their lives were set on a new course. After graduating from college in May, they married on June 16, 1973, at Wendy's home in Ossining, New York. 

By July they had relocated to Dallas, Texas, where Lowell began studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, compelled by his newfound faith and a growing sense of calling to ministry. He studied under his favorite professor, Howard Hendricks, whom he deeply respected and quoted throughout his life. He graduated four years later with a Master's Degree in Theology, prepared and eager for the work ahead. 

In August of 1977, he was called to serve as Pastor of Hartland Baptist Church in Johnson Creek, New York — a post he would hold for nearly thirty-five years. It was there that he and Wendy put down roots and raised their four children: Matthew, Carolyn, Mark, and Scott. The church was later renamed Hartland Bible Church and eventually relocated to Gasport, New York, where the ministry continued to grow and reach new people. 

Lowell was, at his core, a man who simply wanted people to know Jesus. He didn't concern himself with denominations, musical styles, or what others thought of him. For thirty-five years he understood his calling to be complete loyalty to the Bible's teachings and faithful shepherding of the people in his care. He brought conviction to every conversation, every sermon, and every relationship. In later years he traveled with nearly twenty pounds of books, studied the Word daily, and kept a journal filled with his thoughts and reflections. He never stopped asking deep and caring questions of the people around him. 

His ministry extended well beyond the walls of his church. He served as Chaplain of Niagara County Jail, met regularly with area pastors for fellowship and collaboration on special services, and traveled to Romania with Wendy and others from Hartland Bible Church as part of Rebekah Graham's ministry. 

He poured himself into the life of the congregation he loved. He championed vacation Bible school, fellowship dinners, church picnics, local outreach, and meaningful partnerships with neighboring churches. The Christmas candlelight services were a beloved tradition, as were his legendary Middlenice, NY stories — told every year with warmth, humor, and the kind of timing only Lowell could pull off. Beyond the pulpit, he cared for his people through counseling, discipleship, Bible studies, hospital visits, and a steady, faithful presence for those who were sick or grieving. 

He was also a man of remarkable and wide-ranging creativity. He sang to his congregation — not casually, but with intention and passion, choosing songs that reflected exactly what he was teaching and delivering them with genuine emotion. He was a gifted visual artist who painted throughout his entire life: a portrait for his mother-in-law after the loss of her husband, Biblical murals for missions work in Romania, scenes for vacation Bible school, and signs alongside his friend Greg Stanton — including one very elaborate dragon motorcycle. 

For nearly ten years he served as set designer for Roy Hart High School musicals, typically painting entire sets in two weeks or less. He later painted sets for plays in Cocoa Beach, bringing that same energy and dedication to every production. 

He built models with impressive realism and displayed them in what became a legendary room at the Johnson Creek parsonage — his office. Guests who stepped through that door went from an ordinary den into a feast for the eyes: every wall and the ceiling itself covered in Star Wars and Star Trek posters, hanging toys, hand-built and hand-painted models, and memorabilia, all anchored by his stereo — wired throughout the house — a desk for art and model building, and a separate desk for study. It was an experience all its own. 

He made toys for his kids — a dollhouse for Carolyn, trucks and spaceships for his boys. He helped build forts and was a capable handyman who built and fixed things at home, at the church, and at his children's homes for years. 

He loved movies, and science fiction in particular — Star Wars and Star Trek above all — and built quite a film collection, organizing and cataloguing it with as much pleasure as the watching. He loved photography and was constantly behind a camera or video recorder, particularly drawn to close-up shots and the reactions they captured. It was generally best not to react. Family vacations were always a bigger affair — long road trips to Cocoa Beach to visit Wendy's family, and across New York to Albany to see his parents, affectionately known as "Pop Pop" and "Ba Ba." These trips meant time with his brother, sister, and their families, with nieces and nephews aplenty. Gypson humor ran freely, and the home videos from those years are proof. 

Lowell had a gift for finding the absurd and wonderful in the world, and he passed that sensibility on to his family. Monty Python, Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther, The Party and The Pirates of Penzance in particular became household staples — the latter serving as something of an unofficial orientation film for anyone who married into the family. That shared sense of humor became part of the Gypson identity. 

Music was another thread woven through the home. Lowell and Wendy each had their own individual tastes but shared a wide and genuine overlap, and they listened and sang together often. Musicals and opera were regular viewing, and the idea that music could carry deep emotion — that it was a language as much as an art form — was something the whole family absorbed naturally. 

He was also more athletic than his indoor hobbies might have suggested. Inspired in part by his friend Jack Beedon, Lowell completed four marathons — a passion that spread, particularly to Wendy, who carried it forward throughout her life and passed it on to others in the family. 

Lowell had a way with words — plain, direct, and usually delivered with a straight face. He loved a good one-liner and had a handful he returned to often. When he spotted young parents white-knuckling it through the toddler years, he'd offer his cheerful reassurance: "Don't worry, it'll be easier when they're teenagers." When the kids or grandkids pushed for something they weren't going to get, his answer was reliable: "Learn to live with disappointment." And in marriage counseling, he cut straight to the point: "You know you're marrying a human."

When Lowell retired in 2012, he and Wendy moved to Cocoa Beach, Florida, to live with and care for Wendy's mother. The Florida lifestyle agreed with him thoroughly. After decades of Buffalo winters, the warmth and sunshine were a welcome change he never took for granted. He and Wendy stayed active — running, biking, and kayaking together — and found a church home at Zion Community Church. He settled comfortably into the pew, though those who knew him well suspected it occasionally took some restraint not to offer a pointer or two. With the Port of Canaveral just down the road, the three of them went on many cruises together, and family loved making the trip south to visit. Lowell made the most of every bit of it. 

In his later years the Gypson family gathered often for reunions, and Lowell was always at the center — playing with the grandchildren, asking heartfelt questions, and simply loving everyone in the room. 

After the passing of Wendy's mother in 2025, they began making plans to move back north. His final months included time in Virginia Beach near his daughter Carolyn and her family, and then Fort Wayne, Indiana, near his son Mark and family. He passed away on April 28, 2026, at their new home in Indiana, surrounded by the people he loved. To his grandchildren, he was "Pappy" — silly, warm, endlessly fun, and impossible to replace. 

To his children, he was a father who taught them to forgive, to ask for forgiveness, to love others boldly, and to never walk away from a calling. He always had a hug ready and never missed a chance to express his love and pride. 

To his congregation, he was a pastor who gave fully of himself — head and heart — Sunday after Sunday, year after year. 

To the friends, neighbors, and countless people who passed through his life, he was the man who made you feel seen, made you laugh, and somehow always found a way to point you toward something greater than yourself. 

And to Wendy, he was a husband of fifty-two years — steady, faithful, and loving through every season life brought their way. 

A life of purpose. A faith that held. A calling answered fully. 

"Well done, good and faithful servant."