March 04, 1921 - November 23, 2017
Marjorie H. McDowell Obituary Marjorie Hazel McDowell passed away, at the age of 96, on November 23, 2017 at Rockwood South Hill Retirement Community in Spokane, WA. Marjorie was born in Spokane on March 4, 1921 to parents Michael Henry Roll and Edna Eunice Roll (nee Robinson). She grew up on the South Hill in Spokane; she attended Grant Grade School and graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in June of 1939. She had fond memories of walking to Lewis and Clark down Rockwood Boulevard with neighborhood friends in all the seasons. Marjorie continued her studies at Washington State College (WSU) where she graduated in May of 1943. After college, she worked at the rent control office in downtown Spokane prior to joining the WAVES, U.S. Navy. She entered the WAVES February 7, 1944; she took the train from Spokane to New York where she completed boot camp training at Hunter College located in the Bronx. She had additional training in Oklahoma and then was transferred to the US Naval Training and Distribution Center in Shoemaker, CA. At Shoemaker, she worked up to the position of Chief Yeoman in Charge of Commodore O.M. Forsters office (Commander, US Naval Training and Distribution Center, Shoemaker, CA). She was directly responsible for the proper function of the entire office and was in charge of office personnel. She enjoyed the location of the base at Shoemaker and frequently spent her leave days in San Francisco. Marjorie was discharged from active duty August 13, 1946; she re-enlisted in the reserves May 9, 1947 and was discharged from the reserves November 25, 1953. She made life-long friends in the service and enjoyed reuniting with many of them at the 40th National WAVES Reunion in Seattle, WA the summer of 1982. After being discharged from active duty, she returned to Spokane and worked for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. for approximately two years then moved back to California where she lived in San Francisco and worked for Dohrmann Commercial Co., a restaurant and hotel supply company. After two years in California, she returned to Spokane and worked at Modern Machinery until her marriage to Jay McDowell, a native of Rockford, WA, on October 17, 1956. Marjorie and Jay lived in Rockford where he farmed, and she stayed home to raise their daughters. Marjorie was a member of the United Methodist Women of Rockford; the Rockford Womens Club; Mcintosh Grange; Hobnailers Hiking Club; and The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist. She enjoyed cooking, sewing, knitting, vegetable and flower gardening, swimming, playing the piano, genealogy, travel and reading mostly history and travel writing. Family was very important to Marjorie, and she will be greatly missed. Marjorie is survived by her daughters, Marilyn Joyce Kirschner of Spokane and Susan Kathleen McDowell (Yuc On Ho) of Seattle; her grandson, Alan Ray McDowell of Spokane; and nephew, Rex Wampler McDowell (Ellen Rudulph Sellers McDowell) of Dallas. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Jay Carl McDowell. A memorial service will be held for family and friends on Thursday, December 7th, at 11 a.m., at The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist, 127 East 12th Avenue, Spokane, WA 99202. � To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Marjorie, please visit our Tree Store. Read more Events NOV 23
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