Gordon Mcdowell

Gordon Lee McDowell was born on July 13, 1923 in Cherokee, the son of Orville and Hattie Millspaugh McDowell and passed from this life on August 3, 2013. He was raised and educated in Cherokee, graduating from Cherokee High School in 1941, having been named to the Daily Oklahoman’s All State Football Team. He then attended Oklahoma State University, graduating with an Electrical Engineering degree in January 1949. Gordon married Madaline June Horne from Medford on December 22, 1943. They celebrated their 6oth wedding anniversary before her death on September 10, 2004. They were both long-time members of the United Methodist Church in Cherokee, where he served on the Board of Trustees and the Finance Committee. Gordon was an honorary member of the United Methodist Women for all the work done remodeling the church basement. In January 1949 he joined Phillips Petroleum at their Kansas City refinery in the Electrical Engineering Department. He was co-owner and worked at McDowell Electric in Cherokee for forty-two years until his retirement in September 1991. In January 1943 he volunteered for the United States 69th Naval Construction Battalion, where he served at Newfoundland, Canada, U.S. Naval Air Base. The 69th Battalion left for England in June 1944 and prepared for the invasion on Omaha Beach in France. He later moved from France to England to Belgium to Holland and into Bremen, Germany and later back to the USA. He was honorably discharged in November 26, 1945. Gordon has always been active in Cherokee. He served as Mayor of Cherokee for ten years and twelve years on the City Council. He is a past Trustee Chairman and Board Member for the First United Methodist Church, Past President and forty-two year member of the Lions Club, Round-Up Board member for the Alfalfa Electric CO-OP, eighteen year board member for the Red Carpet Country Tourism Board, member and past president of the Enid Gem and Mineral Society, founding member of the Cherokee Investment Club, Co-Founder of the Great Salt Plains Selenite Festival and deeply involved in Scouting leadership. Gordon was a forty year member of the Masonic Lodge, and he was a sixty year member of the American Legion Post #33.

He is survived by his children, Cathy Lee McDowell Miller and her husband, Scott of Overland Park, Kansas and Michael Eugene McDowell and his wife, Brenda of Darnestown, Maryland; grandson, Todd Michael Miller of Overland Park, Kansas.

His wife, Madaline preceded him in death along with a brother, Harold McDowell and a sister, Harriette Treseder.

Funeral service will be Thursday, August 8, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. at The First United Methodist Church in Cherokee with Rev. Robert Duran officiating. Burial will follow at the service at Cherokee Municipal Cemetery. Viewing will be Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with the family present from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

---