Mary Kay McDowell – June 17, 1944 – January 14, 2025

A memorial service for longtime Hasty, Colorado resident, currently of Las Animas, Colorado,Mary Kay McDowell will be held at 1:00 p.m., Friday, January 24, 2025. at Horber Funeral Chapel in Las Animas, Colorado. Inurnment will follow at Union Valley Cemetery in Hasty, Colorado. Following the graveside service, friends and family are invited to the Hasty Fire House from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. to come and share memories of Mary. Those attending the memorial service may also wear pink or turquoise if they wish. These were Mary’s favorite colors.

Mary passed away on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at her home, with her family by her side at the age of 80, and was reunited in heaven with her husband, and the love of her life, Joe McDowell. She was born on June 17, 1944, in Mankato, Minnesota to Herman Glowatzke and Verna (Barlow) Elston.

She was united in marriage to Joe on April 23, 1979. Mary was a sweet, kind, selfless and loving soul. Her greatest joy was her husband, and family and spending time with and taking care of them. If she had her way, she would have had a huge house that everyone could have lived in together. There are fond memories of big family get-togethers for the holidays, for her children and grandchildren’s birthdays and weekends spent together. Mary would make a cake for each of her children and grandchildren for their birthdays every year.

She held numerous jobs throughout her life, but she enjoyed being a wife, Momma, and homemaker and taking care of her family the most. She also enjoyed working at the Caddoa Dam Bar, owned by her parents and caring for many children in the Hasty community while her children were growing up, loving all the children in her care as her own. At one point she also sold Watkins products and worked at Valley Grocery in Hasty, which allowed her to visit with many people from the Hasty and surrounding communities.

Some special memories her children have of their Momma are how she always had a good heart and helped whenever help was needed, getting to have lunch and talking with her every day when Mary lived in Lamar, and the many mountain drives took looking at the fall leaves and other wildlife and the trips to the waterfalls. The many phone conversations every week to make sure she was doing okay, and updating her on what was going on, the great advice, love she always gave, and surprising her for her birthday one year. They loved her fried chicken, and cookies.

Her grandchildren remember that she never missed sending them a birthday card, watching The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune with Grandma, and how when she played pinball on Nintendo she would jump around and jerk the controller to help her get the pinball where it needed to go. Taking drives to look at Christmas lights with her. Grandma pushing the red button on the bottom of Grandpa’s boots so they would become “jumping boots”. Her telling secrets in their ears and having a special relationship with each one, how she would light up when watching everyone open Christmas and birthday presents. They loved her food, especially her spaghetti and her being super supportive in any decision they made and always having a listening ear without judgement. She taught them so much in life and this is something her grandchildren will hold onto and cherish. She was the best Momma and Grandma ever and she is now our beautiful guardian angel in heaven.

The family has received numerous comments describing their Momma and Grandma which include – she had a beautiful smile, she was an angel on earth, she was a sweet, amazing and special lady. Others have commented she was always so happy, she was a sweetheart, she was such a beautiful person. These comments have comforted her family during this difficult time.

Mary is survived by her children, Nita McDowell (Joe Vagher) and Jay Forbes (Brandi) all of Hasty, Colorado, Paula (Charlie) Van Egmond of Las Animas, Colorado, and twins Verna (Jason) Heyne of Carmel, Indiana, and Louise (OJ) Pierce of Del Norte, Colorado, Patrick, Cecilia, and Clifton; grandchildren, Juanna (Fernando) Hernandez, Chandra Forbes (Al), Joseph McDowell, Brittany Blackbird-Alvarado (Irwin), Dakota Blackbird-Alvarado (Anthony) and Mark Blackbird-Alvarado, Devlyn Forbes (Nick), Keith Pierce, Noah Heyne (Sidne), Cayden, Elleigh and Evelyn, Kendall (Daniel) Van Egmond-Crandall, and Megan Van Egmond (Gabe); numerous great and great-great grandchildren; brother, Larry Barlow; sister, Helen Abbott; brother-in-law, Raymond McDowell; sister-in-law, Shirley McDowell; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and a host of other family and friends.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Clifton “Joe” Monroe McDowell; parents; bonus dad, Elmer Elston; sister, Anita Jeffries; brother, Richard Smith, as well as many brothers and sisters- in-law.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, Colorado as Mary loved butterflies, in care of Horber Funeral Chapel, P.O. Box 431, Las Animas, Colorado 81054. To leave online condolences, please visit www.horberfuneralchapel.com.

Filed Under: Obituary

Tags:

About the Author: