Virginia Marie McDowell

Virginia Marie McDowell, age 92, of Shelby, died sleeping peacefully on Monday, March 27, 2023 at her home where she was being lovingly cared for by her daughter, Alice, and OhioHealth Hospice.

Virginia was born August 4, 1930 in Tiffin, Ohio  to Leland and Mary Alice (Miller) Bechtel. Raised in New Washington, she was a graduate of Buckeye Central High School. Her professional career began at Tiffin Mercy Hospital and Willard Mercy Hospital (formerly Municipal Hospital) where she worked as a lab technician performing x-ray duties. On May 18, 1953, Virginia married Wayne McDowell. He was stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia while she was employed at Richmond Hospital for a year and a half prior to moving back to Shelby.

Virginia loved working on family histories and genealogies through the use of microfilms in libraries and also enjoyed listening to Lawrence Welk. Blest with a selfless, giving nature, Virginia took care of her husband with Parkinson’s Disease for 5 years and her crippled daughter for 66 years with her daughter, Alice.

She is survived by her daughter: Alice; brother: Richard (the late, Mary Ellen) Bechtel of Columbus; and a special niece, Carol Ebdon of Omaha, NB. In addition to her parents, Virginia was preceded in death by her husband: Wayne; daughter: Ann; brother: Fr. Charles Bechtel; and sister: Ann (Gerald) Rotterdam.

Funeral Mass for both Virginia and her daughter, Ann, will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 11am at Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 29 West Street, Shelby, where they were both members of the church and its Altar and Rosary Society. Fr. Chris Mileski will officiate with burial following in the church cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the church.

Care for the McDowell family is being provided by the Penwell Turner Funeral Home, 168 West Main Street, Shelby. Condolences for the family may be left on the funeral home’s website, www.PenwellTurner.com, or their Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/PenwellFuneral.