Mary Lee (Wood) Dowdle, 83, died at her home in Bowmont on April 25, 2010, from the effects of a stroke she suffered on January 26th. She passed peacefully from this life with her daughter and loyal canine companions at her side.
Mary Lee was born on Aug. 6, 1926, in Boring, Oregon, the first of five children born to Lee and Myrtle Wood. At the age of 3, she moved with her family to a farm along Hwy 45 near Melba. She attended Melmont School, leaving in her junior year to assist her parents on the farm and help care for her younger siblings.
On Aug. 3, 1944, she married Melvin Ballard Loveland and moved into a small house in Nampa. The couple had one son (Allen), who, sadly, did not survive the birth. Over the next nine years, Ballard's health rapidly deteriorated and Mary Lee cared for him in their home until his untimely death in 1954.
On June 22, 1957, she married Merle Vernon Dowdle and welcomed three step-children, Scott, Marilyn and Carolyn, to her family. The couple continued to live in Nampa and worked hard to remodel and upgrade the little house until it was a showcase of both Vern's construction skills and Mary Lee's artistic abilities. Working as a journeyman carpenter, Vern completed many projects in and around the Nampa area, while Mary Lee worked in a number of retail sales positions and, most memorably, as an operator on the old switchboard at the phone company.
In 1963, the couple had a daughter, Diana, who grew to be, as her father predicted, a great help to Mary Lee. The couple traveled with Diana to many destinations after Vern's retirement, and Mary Lee delighted in exploring other cultures and lands. Following Vern's loss to pancreatic cancer in 1989, Mary Lee remained in her home and helped Diana with her silk and dried floral arranging business. She continued to travel and tried to experience as much as she possibly could with each new day.
Throughout her life, Mary Lee was a devoted and dedicated member of the LDS church. She served in numerous service positions within the church and became known for her innovative and thoughtful presentations that were both educational and entertaining.
In 2005, Mary Lee moved into the home of her daughter and son-in-law in Bowmont and spent the remaining years of her life near her childhood home and surrounded by her loving and attentive family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lee and Myrtle Wood; husband, Ballard Loveland; infant son, Allen Loveland; husband, Vernon Dowdle; daughter-in-law, Sue Dowdle; son-in-law, Henry Besendorfer; grandson, Eldon Collett; great-grandson, Jacob Besendorfer; and brother-in-law, Tony Gabiola. She is survived by her brother, Glen "Corky" (Jean) Wood; sisters Phyllis (J.D.) Steen, Rose Marie Gabiola and Shari (Charles) Levert; daughter, Diana (Dave) Smith, step-son, Scott (Sharon) Dowdle; step-daughters Marilyn Besendorfer and Carolyn (Roger) Nelson; 13 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
The family would like to extend their warmest thanks to the staff of Heart n Home Hospice, for the diligent care and comfort they gave to Mary Lee during her final weeks. They would also like to thank the many friends and neighbors who visited and assisted in a variety of ways.
A funeral will be held at the Melba LDS Church on Friday, April 30th beginning at 11 a.m. There will be a viewing at Zeyer Funeral Home in Nampa from 7 to 9 p.m. on April 29th, and the internment will be at 3:30 p.m. on April 30th at Kohlerlawn Cemetery in Nampa.
Idaho Press-Tribune, Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Mary Lee was born on Aug. 6, 1926, in Boring, Oregon, the first of five children born to Lee and Myrtle Wood. At the age of 3, she moved with her family to a farm along Hwy 45 near Melba. She attended Melmont School, leaving in her junior year to assist her parents on the farm and help care for her younger siblings.
On Aug. 3, 1944, she married Melvin Ballard Loveland and moved into a small house in Nampa. The couple had one son (Allen), who, sadly, did not survive the birth. Over the next nine years, Ballard's health rapidly deteriorated and Mary Lee cared for him in their home until his untimely death in 1954.
On June 22, 1957, she married Merle Vernon Dowdle and welcomed three step-children, Scott, Marilyn and Carolyn, to her family. The couple continued to live in Nampa and worked hard to remodel and upgrade the little house until it was a showcase of both Vern's construction skills and Mary Lee's artistic abilities. Working as a journeyman carpenter, Vern completed many projects in and around the Nampa area, while Mary Lee worked in a number of retail sales positions and, most memorably, as an operator on the old switchboard at the phone company.
In 1963, the couple had a daughter, Diana, who grew to be, as her father predicted, a great help to Mary Lee. The couple traveled with Diana to many destinations after Vern's retirement, and Mary Lee delighted in exploring other cultures and lands. Following Vern's loss to pancreatic cancer in 1989, Mary Lee remained in her home and helped Diana with her silk and dried floral arranging business. She continued to travel and tried to experience as much as she possibly could with each new day.
Throughout her life, Mary Lee was a devoted and dedicated member of the LDS church. She served in numerous service positions within the church and became known for her innovative and thoughtful presentations that were both educational and entertaining.
In 2005, Mary Lee moved into the home of her daughter and son-in-law in Bowmont and spent the remaining years of her life near her childhood home and surrounded by her loving and attentive family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lee and Myrtle Wood; husband, Ballard Loveland; infant son, Allen Loveland; husband, Vernon Dowdle; daughter-in-law, Sue Dowdle; son-in-law, Henry Besendorfer; grandson, Eldon Collett; great-grandson, Jacob Besendorfer; and brother-in-law, Tony Gabiola. She is survived by her brother, Glen "Corky" (Jean) Wood; sisters Phyllis (J.D.) Steen, Rose Marie Gabiola and Shari (Charles) Levert; daughter, Diana (Dave) Smith, step-son, Scott (Sharon) Dowdle; step-daughters Marilyn Besendorfer and Carolyn (Roger) Nelson; 13 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
The family would like to extend their warmest thanks to the staff of Heart n Home Hospice, for the diligent care and comfort they gave to Mary Lee during her final weeks. They would also like to thank the many friends and neighbors who visited and assisted in a variety of ways.
A funeral will be held at the Melba LDS Church on Friday, April 30th beginning at 11 a.m. There will be a viewing at Zeyer Funeral Home in Nampa from 7 to 9 p.m. on April 29th, and the internment will be at 3:30 p.m. on April 30th at Kohlerlawn Cemetery in Nampa.
Idaho Press-Tribune, Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Mary Lee (Wood) Dowdle, 83, died at her home in Bowmont on April 25, 2010, from the effects of a stroke she suffered on January 26th. She passed peacefully from this life with her daughter and loyal canine companions at her side.
Mary Lee was born on Aug. 6, 1926, in Boring, Oregon, the first of five children born to Lee and Myrtle Wood. At the age of 3, she moved with her family to a farm along Hwy 45 near Melba. She attended Melmont School, leaving in her junior year to assist her parents on the farm and help care for her younger siblings.
On Aug. 3, 1944, she married Melvin Ballard Loveland and moved into a small house in Nampa. The couple had one son (Allen), who, sadly, did not survive the birth. Over the next nine years, Ballard's health rapidly deteriorated and Mary Lee cared for him in their home until his untimely death in 1954.
On June 22, 1957, she married Merle Vernon Dowdle and welcomed three step-children, Scott, Marilyn and Carolyn, to her family. The couple continued to live in Nampa and worked hard to remodel and upgrade the little house until it was a showcase of both Vern's construction skills and Mary Lee's artistic abilities. Working as a journeyman carpenter, Vern completed many projects in and around the Nampa area, while Mary Lee worked in a number of retail sales positions and, most memorably, as an operator on the old switchboard at the phone company.
In 1963, the couple had a daughter, Diana, who grew to be, as her father predicted, a great help to Mary Lee. The couple traveled with Diana to many destinations after Vern's retirement, and Mary Lee delighted in exploring other cultures and lands. Following Vern's loss to pancreatic cancer in 1989, Mary Lee remained in her home and helped Diana with her silk and dried floral arranging business. She continued to travel and tried to experience as much as she possibly could with each new day.
Throughout her life, Mary Lee was a devoted and dedicated member of the LDS church. She served in numerous service positions within the church and became known for her innovative and thoughtful presentations that were both educational and entertaining.
In 2005, Mary Lee moved into the home of her daughter and son-in-law in Bowmont and spent the remaining years of her life near her childhood home and surrounded by her loving and attentive family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lee and Myrtle Wood; husband, Ballard Loveland; infant son, Allen Loveland; husband, Vernon Dowdle; daughter-in-law, Sue Dowdle; son-in-law, Henry Besendorfer; grandson, Eldon Collett; great-grandson, Jacob Besendorfer; and brother-in-law, Tony Gabiola. She is survived by her brother, Glen "Corky" (Jean) Wood; sisters Phyllis (J.D.) Steen, Rose Marie Gabiola and Shari (Charles) Levert; daughter, Diana (Dave) Smith, step-son, Scott (Sharon) Dowdle; step-daughters Marilyn Besendorfer and Carolyn (Roger) Nelson; 13 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
The family would like to extend their warmest thanks to the staff of Heart n Home Hospice, for the diligent care and comfort they gave to Mary Lee during her final weeks. They would also like to thank the many friends and neighbors who visited and assisted in a variety of ways.
A funeral will be held at the Melba LDS Church on Friday, April 30th beginning at 11 a.m. There will be a viewing at Zeyer Funeral Home in Nampa from 7 to 9 p.m. on April 29th, and the internment will be at 3:30 p.m. on April 30th at Kohlerlawn Cemetery in Nampa.
Idaho Press-Tribune, Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Mary Lee was born on Aug. 6, 1926, in Boring, Oregon, the first of five children born to Lee and Myrtle Wood. At the age of 3, she moved with her family to a farm along Hwy 45 near Melba. She attended Melmont School, leaving in her junior year to assist her parents on the farm and help care for her younger siblings.
On Aug. 3, 1944, she married Melvin Ballard Loveland and moved into a small house in Nampa. The couple had one son (Allen), who, sadly, did not survive the birth. Over the next nine years, Ballard's health rapidly deteriorated and Mary Lee cared for him in their home until his untimely death in 1954.
On June 22, 1957, she married Merle Vernon Dowdle and welcomed three step-children, Scott, Marilyn and Carolyn, to her family. The couple continued to live in Nampa and worked hard to remodel and upgrade the little house until it was a showcase of both Vern's construction skills and Mary Lee's artistic abilities. Working as a journeyman carpenter, Vern completed many projects in and around the Nampa area, while Mary Lee worked in a number of retail sales positions and, most memorably, as an operator on the old switchboard at the phone company.
In 1963, the couple had a daughter, Diana, who grew to be, as her father predicted, a great help to Mary Lee. The couple traveled with Diana to many destinations after Vern's retirement, and Mary Lee delighted in exploring other cultures and lands. Following Vern's loss to pancreatic cancer in 1989, Mary Lee remained in her home and helped Diana with her silk and dried floral arranging business. She continued to travel and tried to experience as much as she possibly could with each new day.
Throughout her life, Mary Lee was a devoted and dedicated member of the LDS church. She served in numerous service positions within the church and became known for her innovative and thoughtful presentations that were both educational and entertaining.
In 2005, Mary Lee moved into the home of her daughter and son-in-law in Bowmont and spent the remaining years of her life near her childhood home and surrounded by her loving and attentive family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lee and Myrtle Wood; husband, Ballard Loveland; infant son, Allen Loveland; husband, Vernon Dowdle; daughter-in-law, Sue Dowdle; son-in-law, Henry Besendorfer; grandson, Eldon Collett; great-grandson, Jacob Besendorfer; and brother-in-law, Tony Gabiola. She is survived by her brother, Glen "Corky" (Jean) Wood; sisters Phyllis (J.D.) Steen, Rose Marie Gabiola and Shari (Charles) Levert; daughter, Diana (Dave) Smith, step-son, Scott (Sharon) Dowdle; step-daughters Marilyn Besendorfer and Carolyn (Roger) Nelson; 13 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
The family would like to extend their warmest thanks to the staff of Heart n Home Hospice, for the diligent care and comfort they gave to Mary Lee during her final weeks. They would also like to thank the many friends and neighbors who visited and assisted in a variety of ways.
A funeral will be held at the Melba LDS Church on Friday, April 30th beginning at 11 a.m. There will be a viewing at Zeyer Funeral Home in Nampa from 7 to 9 p.m. on April 29th, and the internment will be at 3:30 p.m. on April 30th at Kohlerlawn Cemetery in Nampa.
Idaho Press-Tribune, Wednesday, April 28, 2010
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