Lowell Blakeney Obituary

Lowell David Blakeney (Bro. Dave), age 76, passed into the loving arms of His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on July 3, 2025. Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to James Rowe and Ruth (Grantham) Blakeney, Bro. Dave dedicated his life to serving God. Most notably, he served in several churches across Alabama in the roles of minister of youth and minister of music, including Hillwood Baptist Church of Huntsville, Alabama, where he served for 13 years. Bro. Dave also started Farley Community Church in Huntsville and served as pastor there for 17 years.
Bro. Dave was widely known for his love for people. He could be found reading books to children in public schools, counseling families, making multiple hospital visits, connecting people with needed resources, or walking alongside others in their grief. He loved music and passed on that love to his children and a multitude of others.
His favorite week of the year was Vacation Bible School, a week-long Bible camp. Bro. Dave poured his life into children, sharing with them his own deep love for Jesus. Many teenagers were impacted by his ministry, and several of them have gone on to serve as ministers in churches or as missionaries in the United States and abroad. Others are passing on his legacy of meeting others where they are in their day-to-day lives, living as Jesus lived.
Bro. Dave, along with his wife of 55 years, Sandra (Griffin) Blakeney, raised three children. Kym (Blakeney) Harding and her husband, Chris, are on staff at First Baptist Church of Lenoir City, Tennessee. Robyn (Blakeney) Cates and her husband, Trey, are on staff at Faith Community Church in Barre, Vermont. Donald Blakeney and his wife, Sarah, serve at Albertville First Baptist Church (Alabama), where Don is a music minister.
Along with his wife and children, Bro. Dave is survived by his six grandchildren, Jonathan Harding (spouse, Emmy), Sarah Harding, Rachel (Cates) Grace (spouse, David), Joshua Cates, Caleb Blakeney, and Leah Blakeney. A great-grandchild is due in November. He is also survived by his siblings, James Blakeney, Helen Mosely, and Walter Blakeney, along with multiple nieces and nephews. The family wishes to thank Concord Place Memory Care of Knoxville, Tennessee, for providing excellent care for Bro. Dave during the year and a half he resided there. The staff there loved him and tended to him as if he was a part of their families. They grieved along with the family at his passing.
Bro. Dave's heart's desire was that all would come to know Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord. If you would like to experience the peace he had in this life and what was the driving force of his life, please reach out to a local pastor.
A funeral will be held at First Baptist Church of Lenoir City, Tennessee, on Saturday, July 26, at 2:00 pm with a time of visitation beginning at 12:00 pm.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at Farley Community Church in Huntsville, Alabama, on Saturday, August 2, at 3:00 pm with a time of visitation beginning at 1:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made either to Our Place, a memory care facility in Farragut, Tennessee (103 Cheeyo Way, Loudon, TN 37774 or ourplacetn.org-in memory of David Blakeney) or Kids Hope, a tutoring ministry of First Baptist Church, Lenoir City, Tennessee (2085 Simpson Road East, Lenoir City, TN 37772).