Harry Llewellyn McDowall

Harry Llewellyn McDowall, 72, longtime Moses Lake resident, went to be with the Lord on May 26, 2004, surrounded by his family at home. He and his wife, Arlene had just returned from their winter residence in Casa Grande, Ariz. to help their daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Duane.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 1, 2004 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Nelson Road Chapel. Bishop Chris Hyer of the Moses Lake 8th ward will officiate. Interment will follow in Pioneer Memorial Gardens.

Arrangements are in care of Kayser's Chapel and Crematory, Moses Lake. The family will greet friends at the funeral home on Monday, May 31 from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Harry was born in Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada on December 16, 1931. He was the first of four children born to Lenora May (Truitt) and Hector McDowall. His mother decided the children would get a better education in the United States, so in June 1942 she married J.L. Hansen and moved Harry and his brothers and sister to Redding, Calif.

Harry spent the next eight years growing up and developing his gift of gab. By the time he was a junior in Shasta Union High School, he had been selected to go to "Boys State", was elected class president, ran the mile for the track team and played on the football team.

Before the start of his senior year, his folks bought a dairy in Aumsville, Ore., so he moved with them and spent his senior year at Cascade Union High School. There he played sports, worked on the school paper and was a "yell leader."

Harry's wife of almost 53 years, Arlene, was also a "yell leader" and after graduating, they were married on October 20, 1951. They were married again March 18, 1967 in accordance with their Latter-day Saints faith at the Temple in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. Harry was baptized October 6, 1945 and had held various church positions, including being a member of the Elders Presidency.

He worked at the sawmill outside Aumsville prior to moving to Moses Lake, Wash. in 1953, where the rest of his family had moved and started doing construction work, building the irrigation canals and later houses in the Moses Lake area. After helping his folks build a dairy in Moses Lake, he built his own dairy on Broadway Extended across from Farm in a Day in 1967.

Health problems caused Harry to make some changes in his life and he went to work for U&I Sugar as a maintenance supervisor and then became president of the Grain Millers Union.

After injuring his back and the closure of u&I Sugar, he semi-retired and worked for the Latter-day Saints church as an employment specialist. He really enjoyed this and his love of people made him very good at finding employers and the right people to fill the position no matter what it was.

He never met a stranger or anyone he couldn't find something to talk to them about. After he became a citizen on May 1, 1987, a trip to the old Donut Depot with him was an enjoyable almost all-day affair while he worked on fixing all the world's problems. Buying a motor home gave Harry a whole new world of people to meet and talk to.

Harry and Arlene started snow birding to Arizona in 1995 and made Casa Grande, Ariz. their home in 1998, where they made many new friends. They returned to Moses Lake every summer to be with their children and families.

Harry is survived by: his wife, Stella Arlene McDowall; two daughters and sons-in-law, Deborah and Wes Marchmonte of Moses Lake and Susan and Duane Knowles of Kingston, Okla.; two sons and daughters-in-law, Neil McDowall and Megan Fielding and Calvin and Casey McDowall, all of Moses Lake; one sister, Marjorie Claiborne of Tacoma, Wash.; two brothers and sisters-in-law, Robert and Marilyn McDowall of Deer Park, Wash. and Donald and Barbara McDowall of Moses Lake; father-in-law, Calvin Garver; 14 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lenora Tenaglia and Hector McDowall, his stepfather, Lou Hansen, mother-in-law, Goldie Garver, and brother-in-law, Harvey Claiborne.

Harry will be missed but not forgotten by both family and friends.