Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant John Lowry died from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 while assigned to the Riverhead Correctional Facility at 100 Center Drive South in Riverhead.
Sergeant Lowry had served with the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office for over 30 years and was assigned to the Corrections Division.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Sergeant John R. Lowry died on October 6, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 60.
He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 2 at Suffolk County Sheriff's Office.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-1A865D16- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Sergeant Lowry gave the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office 30 years.
Thank you for your service to the Yaphank community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Lowry.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant John R. Lowry is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NY, 629 of 2,147 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 29.3% of this state's fallen. That is 20.2 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
At Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 6 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John R. Lowry's cause is highlighted.
How John R. Lowry Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. John R. Lowry is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from Suffolk County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
