Henri Alice Lowery

          Retired Clinical Psychologist, Henri Alice Lowery, died April 17, 2023, at the age of 86, following a protracted illness. She lived in the River Park Community in SW Washington, DC for over 50 years.

          Henri Alice Lowery was born April 12, 1937, the youngest daughter of Henry and Cora Mattie (Eanes) Lowery in Saltillo, TN. The shy, nerdy, slightly mischievous girl with the infectious laugh grew up to be a recognized scholar in psychology, inspiring generations behind her to dream big and never let societal or cultural barriers define you.

          Henri Alice attended Tennessee State University (then called Tennessee A&I State University), an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) in Nashville, TN. At TSU, she blossomed into an accomplished woman of distinction in the classroom and public service to her campus. She was proudly inducted into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., an organization of college educated women dedicated to public service in 1956. With the unflagging support of her sorority, Henri Alice was elected Miss Tennessee State University in her senior year 1958. She was a University Scholar and completed her undergraduate degree in psychology with HIGHEST DISTINCTION. She would culminate her studies at TSU with a Master of Science in Experimental Psychology in 1960.

          Henri Alice made her lifelong home in Washington, DC. She settled and remained a long-term resident of the River Park Community in SW Washington, DC which she proclaimed the "most neighborly community imaginable."

          After completing graduate and clinical psychology work at George Washington University, she launched her career at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), becoming a published scholar and invited speaker on the treatment and rehabilitation of people with severe mental disorders. Before her retirement from NIMH in 1992, Henri Alice directed the NIMH program on the treatment and rehabilitation of people with schizophrenia, administered the NIMH Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program, and acted as consultant to the World Health Organization.

          Henri Alice shared her dedication to scholarship, search for truth and understanding, and love of community with her family and friends. For most of her adult life, she was the de facto family historian, keeping meticulous family histories and often regaling the "youngsters" with stories of their grands, greats, and great-greats.

          She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Cora Mattie Lowery, sisters, Mattie Lowery Hayes and Bessie Lowery Pennington, and brother Thedford Lowery, Sr. She leaves to celebrate her life and cherish her memory, her Washington, DC family: Gil, Maggi, Michelle, and Melissa Gray; the family of her sister Mattie: Elizabeth (Hayes), Jamir, and Jamal Stovall; the family of her brother Thedford: Tony, Teresa, JR, and Liza Lowery, Shelia (Lowery) Oates, and Alfredda (Lowery) Jackson; sisters of her heart: Bea Keel and Helen Anderson; along with a host of cousins, lovely neighbors, and close circle of friends.



A private family burial service will be held in her honor. In lieu of flowers, please donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in her memory.

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