Leona Marie Sewell McDowell

March 9, 1930 ~ November 2, 2018

© Billings Funeral Home
Reprinted with permission

Submitted by: Ann Weber

Leona McDowell, 88 year old Mooreland resident, died Friday, November 2, 2018 in the Hospice of Okeechobee Hamrick Home in Okeechobee , Florida. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, November 9, 2018 at the United Methodist Church of Mooreland. Burial will follow in the Mooreland Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Billings Funeral Home.

Leona Marie (Sewell) McDowell was born on March 9, 1930 in Butler, Missouri; she was the youngest of ten children of Pierce and Mary Alice (Palmer) Sewell. Leona grew up in western Missouri and eastern Oklahoma and graduated from Sallisaw High School. She was united in marriage to Francis Jordan. They made their home on the farm in Mutual, Oklahoma. After a tornado in 1962, the family moved to Woodward and in 1968 they moved to Mooreland. Leona worked as a cashier at Safeway, she was a Medical Assistant for Dr. RR Boone, Jr for 18 years and served as an EMT for the Woodward Ambulance Base.

She was united in marriage to C.A. (Bid) McDowell on June 14, 1982 in Raton, New Mexico. They made their home in Mooreland and shortly after their marriage Leona retired. After her retirement, they traveled all around the United States and Canada. She took her family to the Bahamas in recent years and Costa Rica to visit her great grandson.. Leona enjoyed dancing, camping , traveling, playing cards and dominoes and most board games plus crocheting and quilting and she loved to cook. Leona loved her family and she enjoyed caring for her children and grandchildren, sewing their clothes, costumes, and whatever was needed. She always loved participating in their school and church activities. She loved going to music competitions, concerts, sporting events and family musical performances. She was also an avid Thunder and OU football fan.

She was a member of the Mooreland United Methodist Church for many years, the Okie Tumbleweeds, and the Red Carpet Campers as well as Mooreland Sr. Citizens. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

She is survived by her children: Gail (Jordan) Gerntrup of Port St. Lucie, Florida, Kitty (Jordan) Ferrell of Perry, Oklahoma, Lynn Jordan and wife Cherie of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; step-children: Brent McDowell and wife Pam of Mooreland, Bobby McDowell of Arkansas, Darla Huffman and husband Dale of Mutual, Duane McDowell and wife Sherry of Edmond; 17 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; other relatives and many friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husbands, Francis Jordan, Bid McDowell, her nine siblings, and her son Anthony Ray who died in infancy.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice of Okeechobee, Okeechobee Florida with the funeral home accepting the contributions.