Atmore Code Enforcement Officer Bruce E. Lowery was laid to rest Tuesday after losing his battle with cancer Saturday morning.

According to friends, the 47-year old Bratt resident and Atmore native passed away just after 8 a.m. on Oct. 2 at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Fla. with family by his side.

Following Lowery’s funeral at First United Methodist Church in Atmore, the procession leading to Godwin Cemetery in Bratt stretched more than a mile as hundreds paid their final respects.

“Bruce was the easiest person to get along with,” Atmore City Clerk Becca Smith said Monday. “He was like the big brother I never had. It didn’t matter what you asked him to do; anything from looking up a map to picking up breakfast at Hardee’s the answer was always the same, ‘Yes Dear.’ Bruce was a wonderful addition to our City Hall Family and I will always remember him. War Eagle Bruce!”

A 1987 graduate of Auburn University, Lowery was a huge Auburn football fan. Monday evening, more than a thousand of his close friends and family lined up more than an hour prior to visitation outside Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home to pay their final respects to the man they loved, some sporting blue and orange. Nearly an hour after the scheduled visitation conclusion, people could still be seen making their way through the front doors of the funeral home.

Lowery graduated high school from Ernest Ward in 1981 where he was a member of the 1979 state championship football team. He was also a long-serving member of the Northeast Pensacola Youth Baseball Association board of directors.

City workers placed black bows on the doors leading into City Hall Monday morning in memory of Lowery. Mayor Howard Shell said Lowery was an asset to the city.

“We were extremely fortunate to have Bruce Lowery working with us,” he said. “The almost three years that he was here, he was one of the finest young men I have had the pleasure of working with. He contributed greatly to the city, and any thing he was involved in, he put his whole heart in. He worked diligently to help the city and whomever he was working with. We will miss him.”

City of Atmore Administrative Assistant Celia Lambert said she would best remember Lowery for his sense of humor.

“He was considerate, unselfish, and he made us laugh,” she said. “His imitations of Carl Childers from Sling Blade or Super Man are good, good memories.

Lowery was also described as a helpful person, always lending his fellow co-workers a hand.

“Bruce was a very special person,” Human Resources Officer Nina Downing said. “He would do anything you asked of him without complaining. There is a special place in my heart just for him. We’ll miss you. War Eagle!!!!”

City Revenue Officer Mary Carter agreed.

“Bruce was one of the most patient, dedicated, helpful and caring people that I’ve had the pleasure of working with,” she said. “I will truly miss him.”

Not only did Lowery leave a lasting impression on those he worked with, but also one of his favorite restaurant’s, Alabama Wing House, closed during the lunch hour Tuesday so all of its employees could attend the funeral.

“Bruce was a part of the Wing House family,” owner Ronnie Cloud said Monday. “If it was not for him, it would have been tough getting the restaurant off the ground. He worked with us day-in and day-out helping us prepare for our grand opening last year. Closing down for a few hours is the least we can do to pay our respects to such a great customer and friend. He will be greatly missed.”

Lowery leaves behind his wife, Julie Van Pelt Lowery; two sons, Bradley Lowery and Michael Lowery and a daughter, Jessica Lowery.