SALT LAKE CITY — "It’s still not real. A year later, it’s still not real," said Donna Lowe-Sterns, Aaron Lowe's mother. “It’s been a rough day. I barely could put my feet on the floor this morning, but I had to.”
Donna spoke to FOX 13 News virtually while trying to go about her day in Texas. She planned to meet with family and lay some flowers at a cemetery on Monday night for her son, who was shot and killed in Salt Lake City on Sep. 26, 2021.
“It’s been difficult. It’s been hard," Lowe-Sterns said about the past year. "We want closure and we still are finding out things, so it’s like a day-to-day task; I deal with it.”
One year without you.
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 26, 2022
We play for you. We love harder, we smile bigger and we work fiercely with the intention of getting 22% better each day.
Your life and legacy have made a lasting impact so big that it cannot be measured.
We love you, A Lowe, and we miss you. #22forever pic.twitter.com/FgkzMoKPNE
The Utah football team held a moment of silence and prayer before practice on Monday.
“He’s always with us, him and Ty both, it was acknowledged in the team meeting today," Utes tight end Dalton Kincaid said. "[We] had a moment of silence for him, but it was definitely felt today more than anything.”
Utes Head Coach Kyle Whittingham opened up his Monday media press conference remembering Lowe and the impact he's had on the program.
“First off, this is the one-year anniversary of Aaron Lowe’s passing," said Whittingham. “Just want to let Aaron’s family know how much they’re in our thoughts and prayers, and we miss him.”
Lowe's mother heard about Whittingham's words he shared earlier in the day.
“It felt great. I love Coach Whittingham — he’s the dad away from home," Lowe-Sterns said.
Lowe wore jersey number 22 after the passing of his good friend and teammate Ty Jordan in December 2020. Since Lowe's passing, the jersey number has been retired, a "moment of loudness" has been implemented at each home game at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and the "TJAL" scholarship has been launched in memory of Lowe and Jordan.
