Larry Leon McDowell

1933 - 2022

Larry McDowell, formerly of Challis, passed away in Twin Falls, ID on May 26th with his family by his side.

Larry, son of Edward Justine McDowell and Josie Marie Springfield McDowell was born in Norfolk, VA on August 5th, 1933 where his dad worked in the naval ship yard. His mother passed away when he was 13 and he was raised by his late sister Iris Mott.

Looking to get out of Norfolk, he enlisted in the Air Force at age 17 prior to finishing high school. In the Air Force he was an A1C in the 67th TRG at Kimpo AFB in Korea. He supported F-86 Sabre reconnaissance aircraft and developed a love for photography and aviation. While there, he earned his GED before being discharged in 1954.

With a GED in hand and access to the GI Bill, he headed west. He liked trees and mountains so he enrolled in the Forestry program at Utah State University. During summers he worked for the Forest Service where he was stationed on Lookout Mountain at the head of Rough Creek in ID. One weekend he hiked out to Stanley for the Saturday night dance where he met Mitzi Williams, daughter of Phyllis and Ted Williams of the Sawtooth valley. The following summer in 1957, they were married.

After graduating from Utah State with a Masters degree, Larry went on to attend Oregon State University in Corvallis where he earned his PhD studying Dutch elm disease. From Corvallis, he moved to Fabius NY to become a professor at the College of Forestry at Syracuse. He was one of the few people in the world that had a GED and a PhD. He valued science and education.

Larry's love of aviation led him to soaring. He owned two sailplanes (HP-10 and HP-11) and flew them often. He loved to take photos, most of them of cumulus and lenticular clouds with an occasional dust devil thrown in. He and Mitzi moved to Challis after Mitzi retired as a school teacher in Tully, NY and spent winters in Double Adobe, AZ. Larry took up trap shooting and golf as his retirement hobbies.

Larry is survived by his dedicated wife Phyllis "Mitzi" Williams McDowell of 65 years, two sons, Roy (Debbie) of Twin Falls and Jim (Jackie) of Salt Lake, four grand-kids, Dr. Derek (Krickett) McDowell, Ashley (Brad) Grimm, Liza and Jamie McDowell and 2 great-grand-kids Ryeton and Maysie Sue.

He didn't remember or communicate much during his last year, but when asked recently if he remembered what a dust devil was, he smiled and said...pick me up and drop me on a cloud. Larry wasn't the spiritual type, but we hope the science works out and he gets his wish. Per his request there will be no service. His ashes will be spread over some of the places he loved in and around the Stanley and Challis area on a day filled with puffy cumulus clouds.