Virginia L. McDowell

Virginia Lee McDowell, age 93, passed away Saturday April 21, 2018, at Papillion Manor in Papillion, Nebraska.

Virginia was born on August 5, 1924 to Nolan C. and Nina A. (Starling) Short in Lebanon, Nebraska.

She graduated from Madison, Nebraska High School. Following graduation, Virginia graduated Nursing school at Bethel Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, CO in 1946.   She also trained at the Denver Children’s Hospital and the Colorado Springs Psychiatric Hospital then returned to Nebraska and graduated from Midland College in Fremont receiving a Bachelors Degree in Science.

On October 1, 1953, Virginia married John B. McDowell in McCook and two children were born to this union, Nancy and Linda.  The couple made their home in McCook where Virginia worked as a Registered Nurse until her retirement in 1987.

Virginia enjoyed traveling, quilting, tatting, reading, and gardening.

She is survived by her daughters, Nancy Brune of Omaha, Nebraska, and Linda Sugar of Dillon, Colorado, granddaughters Meghan Hemenway and husband Zach of Lenexa, Kansas,
Tasia Scott of Boca Raton, Florida; great grandsons, Ellis Dashiell Hemenway “Dash” and Daniel Huck Hemenway “Huck”.  Surviving nieces and nephews; Ron Tompkins, Mary Jo Radil, Jeri Anne Brisbin, Sharron Moskal, and Anita Faddis.

She was preceded in death by her husband John on April 27, 1988, her parents, her sister Imogene and husband Fay McBride, son-in-law Daniel Brune, and one nephew Robert Tompkins.

Graveside services will be held at Fort McPherson National Cemetery in Maxwell, Nebraska on Friday May 11th, 2018 at 2:00pm with Rev. Janie Freeman officiating.