Daughter of a real estate firm operator, Marion Wall Lowrey was born in Gettysburg, South Dakota. In 1936, she attended the Rochester Junior College in Rochester, Minnesota to become a medical secretary. Following her graduation, she worked as a surgical secretary at the Mayo Clinic, where she first met Dr. R. Lee Clark.
During World War II, she worked at the Army Air Forces Aero Medical Center in Heidelberg, Germany as a civilian. The center's mission was to translate captured German aero medical documents. Prior to her move to Germany, Dr. Clark was appointed first Director of MD Anderson and offered her a position upon her return. While in Germany, he also sent her book titles he sought to help grow the institution's library.
She returned to the States in 1948 and accepted Dr. Clark's offer the following year. From 1949 to 1957, she served as his executive secretary from 1949 to 1957. She served as Dr. Clark's executive assistant from 1957 until her retirement in 1977.
In 1967, she married Keith Lowrey. They settled in Nacogdoches, Texas following her retirement.
From the guide to the Marion Wall Lowrey Oral History Interview 1 OH-LowreyMW-20010505., May 5, 2001, (Historical Resources Center, Research Medical Library, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center)
