Mardelle B. McDowell, spouse of the late Clyde E. McDowell, originally from Fredericktown, passed away peacefully at the age of 97, on July 2, 2013 in Austin, Texas. Her daughter, Gwen Holcroft and son-in-law, Jack Holcroft of Lakeway, Texas along with several of her beloved long term caregivers were with her.

She was the daughter of Harm and Stella Dahn, born and raised with her three siblings on a small dairy farm in Chabanse, Illinois. At 16 she went to Kankakee to work her way through high school, and later lived and worked in bookkeeping most of her life in Chicago, Rockford, and Lindenhurst, Illinois. While in Rockford, she met and married her beloved Clyde McDowell, HMCM USN and she was welcomed into McDowell/King extended family of Fredericktown. She is survived by her daughter Gwendolyn Holcroft and son-in-law John Holcroft of Lakeway, Texas; a sister, Carol Bonzi, and niece, Carol Jean Willis of Los Angeles, California, and with numerous nephews and nieces of Fredericktown.

She was related by marriage to the McDowell and King families in Fredericktown, including: James and Phyllis King, Sheila Hayman, Shelly (Frank) Bowles and their extended families. Immediate McDowell relatives also include Connie McClein, Pam Wheatley, and Ronald King

She briefly served in the US Army during WWII, and later accompanied her husband, Clyde, a Master Chief in the US Navy Hospital Corps, on overseas assignments to both the Bahamas and Northern Ireland. Together they resided for many years in Lindenhurst while he was assigned to the US Navy Corps School at Great Lakes Naval Training Station. During this period she worked as a budget analyst in the Navy Pay Center.

Widowed in 1983, shortly after her retirement, Mardelle continued to reside in her home in Illinois until she moved, in 1993, to a retirement community in Lago Vista, Texas on Lake Travis to be a bit closer to her daughter and son-in-law then living in Houston. In 2004 she moved to an independent living facility in Houston, and in 2010 to an assisted living facility in Austin, Texas following her daughter's move to nearby Lakeway, Texas. She became a true Texan.

During her retirement years Mardelle was an active participant in many different activities, including square dancing, bowling, bingo, rummikub, gardening, crochet and travel. She made trips to Europe and a trip to visit her daughter and son-in-law in Gabon, West Africa, and several cruises to Alaska, Panama Canal and the Bahamas. Her favorite activity, however, was gardening. She provided fresh herbs, vegetables to the Island Chef, and flowers for the tables and residents. She continued this activity until she was 91 and was always known as the "gardener" wherever she resided.

Services will be handled by Follis & Sons Funeral Home of Fredericktown, Missouri
(follisnsonsfh @ yahoo.com) with visitation on Monday, July 8, 5:00PM. The funeral will be Tuesday July 9 at 11:00 AM with interment following at Marcus Memorial Park. Luncheon at the Christian Church will follow the services.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Wounded Warrior Project in memory of Mardelle and HMCM Clyde McDowell USN.