Margarete "Micki" Dowell

Margarete “Micki” Louise (Miller) Dowell was born on Saturday, March 25, 1939 in Des Moines, Iowa. Her parents were Wilbur “Bud” and Genevieve “Jenny” (Grundy) Miller. She had two brothers, James “Jimmy” and Gerald “Buzzy”, and four sisters, Donna, Connie, Wilberta and Janette. She lived in the Des Moines area nearly all her life and attended Tech High School. She met and married the love of her life, Larry Dowell, when she was 19 years old and together they had three children, Jim, Jeff and Dawn. Although their 28-year marriage did end in divorce, they remained very close friends until Larry’s passing in 2003. She never remarried claiming, “I will always be a Dowell”.

Micki and Larry owned and operated nursing homes through the years where she was the dietician and head cook. She had other jobs through the years where she became known as “mom” to some and good friend to many. She is a former employee of Younkers, Iowa Realty, Interstate Assurance Company and Continental Western Group.

Micki enjoyed spending time with her closest friends, especially Dina and the CWG ladies and Margie and the TNT ladies. She was as blessed to have them as friends as they were to have her. She also enjoyed spending time with her sister Connie and, although five years apart, never minded when people asked if they were twins! They were definitely two peas in a pod. But . . . her most favorite thing to do was be with her children and grandchildren. NOTHING was more important to her. Micki had great love for her two sons, Jim and Jeff, and a bond with her daughter, Dawn that went beyond the usual mother-daughter relationship. They were BFF’s. The void that she leaves behind is too great for words.

Although there were many wonderful and amazing facets to her and the life she lived, there isn’t anybody that knew her that wouldn’t tell you that she was one of the MOST giving, forgiving, loving, kind and considerate women of God they’d ever known. Her memory, her integrity and her honor will live on forever.

She passed away peacefully in her daughter’s arms after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s. God’s Word tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We know that she is now with her Lord, Jesus, and has become one of God’s most glorious angels residing in Heaven.

Micki is survived by her three children, Jim Dowell, Jeff Dowell and Dawn (Scott) Foster, stepson Larry Dowell, Jr., granddaughters Meagan (Alex) Blain, Amanda (Jeremy) Hoenstreiter, Lauren (Nassim) Rizvi, Tara Dowell, Melissa Shelley and Davi Dowell, grandsons Shamus Shelley and Chance Veach, eleven great-grandchildren, sisters and brother, Connie, Janette and Gerald, many nieces and nephews, family and friends.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 4th at 11:00am at Heartland Church, 1212 NW 36th Street in Ankeny, IA, with a luncheon immediately following. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association to help fight this horrible disease. The Micki Dowell Memorial Fund has been set up in her honor. You can visit her page at web address: http://act.alz.org/site/TR?pxfid=265071&pg=fund&fr_id=1060. (Just copy and paste in to your web browser.) With purple being her favorite color, as well as the chosen color for the Alzheimer’s Association, please feel free to wear purple in her honor.

Print