Marion Howard McDowell Jr.

March 30, 2022

Marion Howard McDowell, Jr., 83, died at home in Gig Harbor, Washington, March 30, 2022 of natural causes. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the owners and caregivers of Harbor Heritage Adult Family Home for their tireless and faithful care for him the last year and some months. Howard graduated from Farmington High School, and he occasionally remarked that he played a “punch drunk” in the junior play. He was designated in the yearbook as classmate with the “Best Sense of Humor.” His good sense of humor stuck with him over the years, even as ill health made life difficult. He began working for the West Virginia Department of Transportation - called the State Road Commission back in the day - after a stint at West Virginia University, just long enough to get certified as a Professional Engineer. He designed roadways, sometimes utilizing design programs he developed on a hand-held computer which he found to perform better than the new Computer Aided Design (CAD) that became ubiquitous in the design world. He was employed by the State in that capacity until he retired in 2003. Howard had a wide variety of interests that he enjoyed: fishing (he probably ranked that his favorite), hunting, archery, weightlifting, motorcycles, balsa wood model airplanes, chess, music, playing guitar. He felt at home walking through the woods in the evening or standing in the middle of a stream only to catch a big one and release it again. He was a lover of the Bible and his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He made a point of sharing the Gospel with whomever would listen, because he had a genuine concern for their salvation. Marion was born to Alvira Genevieve and Marion Howard McDowell, Sr. January 17, 1939. He was proceeded in death by his parents and his beloved brother Charles. He is survived by two daughters, Kim St. John (Ned) of Tacoma, Washington, and Gina Daley of Mineral Wells, West Virginia; their Mother Doris Holmes; his sister Barbara Richardson; Six grandchildren - Zachariah, Emma, Tucker and Abigail St. John; and Ryan and Dylan Daley; and two great grandchildren - Zion and Joyelle St. John. Family and friends are welcome to call at Katy Baptist Church, on Tuesday, April 12th, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral service at 12:00 p.m. with Pastor Marvin Stalnaker, officiating. A reception will be held at the church from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. Interment will follow the reception at Grandview Memorial Gardens. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family online at www.carpenterandford.com.