Phyllis "Mitzi" McDowell

1935 - 2023

March 3, 1935 - January 10, 2023 Phyllis Margaret "Mitzi" McDowell - Mar. 3rd, 1935 - Jan. 10th, 2023

Mitzi McDowell, formerly of Challis, passed away peacefully in Twin Falls, ID on Jan. 10th, 2023 due to complications of aging.

Mitzi was born in Twin Falls to Custer county school teacher Phyllis Evans Williams and rancher/outfitter Elliot E. "Ted" Williams, their first and only child. She grew up on the Dave Williams homestead in the Sawtooth valley.

Life as an only child, isolated in the Sawtooth valley, was not easy. Cold cold winters with no indoor plumbing and working summers on the ranch and on trail rides in the Sawtooths and White Clouds made for lots of hard work. She learned to be self sufficient and self entertained. She attended grade school in the one room school house in Stanley in the shadow of Williams peak, where her mother Phyllis was the teacher. In 1953 she graduated from Challis HS.

After high school she attended Idaho State where she played clarinet in the band and earned her teaching certificate. While home for the summer after her junior year, she met Larry L. McDowell who had hiked down off of Lookout Mountain to attend the dance in Stanley. He was a student at Utah State so she signed up to do her student teaching in Preston, ID which was close enough to Logan to continue the courtship. The following summer they were married in Stanley.

After ISU, they moved to Corvallis, OR and had two sons, "Roy J", and "James Doodle". After Larry finished his PhD at Oregon State, they moved to Fabius, NY where she taught 3rd grade in nearby Tully. She earned her master's degree at Cortland State and taught for 28 years. After retirement, she and Larry moved to Challis for summers and spent their winters in Double Adobe, AZ.

Mitzi was preceded in death (May 26, 2022) by her husband of 65 years, Larry, and is survived by two sons, Roy (Debbie) of Hazelton and Jim (Jackie) of Salt Lake, along with four grand-kids, Liza McDowell of Salt Lake, Jamie McDowell of San Diego, Ashley (Brad) Grimm of Layton, UT, Dr. Derek (Krickett) McDowell of Twin Falls, and great-grand-kids Ryeton, Maysie Sue, and Berkly.

She enjoyed reading a good book and watching the birds come and go - especially the Northern Cardinals. In Challis she had a hummingbird feeder in front of every window and an electric broadcaster that threw sunflower seeds halfway across the yard. We're sure there are 1000s of extra birds that got their start on mom's feed - along with a small herd of friendly deer that enjoyed the scatterings. She will be missed by all.

Per mom's request, there will be no service. Her ashes, along with dad's, will be spread over some of the places she loved in and around the Stanley and Challis area.