Alice Kay McDowell, 77, of California, Maryland, passed away, going home to her Savior, on January 10, 2023, at St. Mary’s Nursing Center, Leonardtown, Maryland, after a long illness from Parkinson’s Disease. She was born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Paul and Blanche Martin of Wintersville, Ohio.
I Peter 3:4 states, “but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious,” and epitomizes the life and character of Alice McDowell.
After graduating from Wintersville High School, Alice moved to Columbus, Ohio, attending and graduating from Columbus Business University. She worked as a secretary in an attorney’s office and then for the Huffman-Wolfe Company. While living in Columbus, she met William McDowell through InterVarsity Fellowship. They married and celebrated over 54 faithful years together–most of them in Huber Heights, Ohio.
She will also be remembered for her many quiet acts of service like providing cupcakes as a room mother for her children’s school holiday and birthday celebrations. She volunteered for many years as an accompanist on piano, organ, and keyboard at her children’s grade school and at the churches to which she belonged, most memorably for her many faithful years of service at Grace Bible Church in Springfield, Ohio. When returning to the workforce, she was employed as a part-time secretary also at her children’s school. Alice was a talented seamstress and made clothing for her family and costumes for musicals at her children’s high school. Her love of sewing led to her working at JoAnn Fabrics. Following that, she was employed in the insurance industry by Schneider, Meixner, & Company of Dayton for many years, retiring as a skilled and detail-oriented Benefits Specialist from Brady Ware in 2012. She was a member of the “Silver Sneakers”, enjoying line dancing in retirement. Family was her greatest joy and she loved traveling to visit them. She also loved her dog, “Biscuit.” Alice and Bill were members of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church of Lexington Park after their move to Maryland.
She was a beloved wife, a wonderful mother, and a treasured friend.
In addition to her beloved husband, Alice is survived by her daughters, Christy (Christopher) Lardner of California, Maryland, and Kara (Nathan) Kennedy of Fairbanks, Alaska; her son, Paul (Melanie) McDowell of Jupiter, Florida; her step-sisters, Barb Walters of Dover, Ohio, and Nanci (Robert) Dickens of Gahanna, Ohio; Cousin Becky Goleno of Wintersville, Ohio; two grandchildren, Eileen and Josiah Lardner; and many other extended family members. She was preceded in death by her parents and her stepmother, Dorothy Blickensderfer.
“But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
Family will receive friends on Saturday, January 21, 2023, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., with the funeral “A Celebration of God’s Grace in Alice’s Life” officiated by Pastor Walt Nilsson at 3:00 p.m., at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, 23101 Town Creek Drive, Lexington Park, Maryland 20653. Interment will be held at a later date at Fort Steuben Burial Estates, Wintersville, Ohio.
Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.
Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the InterVarsity Missionaries at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church or to The Gideons for Bibles.
The Gideons International (www.sendtheword.org, PO Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214, 615-564-5000)
Cornerstone Presbyterian Church (www.cornerstonepca.org, 23101 Town Creek Dr, Lexington Park, MD 20653, 301-862-5016) or InterVarsity (https://give.intervarsity.org, https://give.intervarsity.org/home?v=1&utm_campaign=home&g=13602,o)
