Obituary for Myrtle Siebe McDowell: September 6, 1932 – June 20, 2025

Myrtle Siebe McDowell died on June 20, 2025, at Renown Medical Center.  She was born Myrtle Louise Siebe on September 6, 1932, in Boise Idaho, to Edward and Lucile (Philpott) Siebe.  She was 92 years of age. 

Myrtle received her education in the Boise schools, graduating from Boise State University with a major in business education and a minor in music.  She attended college on a music scholarship and spent 70 years as a vocal soloist and choir director. 

The U.S. Marine Corps was her first job, where she met and married her lifelong sweetheart, Jay McDowell of Lincoln, Nebraska.  The couple celebrated their 65^th wedding anniversary on November 5, 2017.  They were blessed with one daughter, Tammy Allyene McConnell; two granddaughters, Julie and Ivy; three great grandchildren, Steven, Joshua, and Jordan; and one great-great granddaughter, Juliet. 

After working 45 years in industries in Idaho, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, and Nevada, Myrtle retired as Vice President of Human Resources, from Saint Mary’s Health Network in Reno, Nevada. 

She and Jay downsized from Reno to Yerington, in July 2005, where she served as Director of Music Ministry for the Yerington Community United Methodist Church and as a Director on the Board of Director of South Lyon Health Care Center, Inc.  for 11 ½ years and the Board of Directors of South Lyon Health Care Foundation for 4 ½ years. 

Myrtle also taught secretarial classes at Newport School of Business, in New Port Beach, California, and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, and secretarial and management classes at 19 of the 25 campuses of Pennsylvania State University in Pennsylvania. 

Myrtle was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her brother Ed Jr. and her sister Florence Elizabeth, all of Boise, Idaho.  Surviving her are her daughter Tammy (Marc) McConnell, of Yerington, and sister Allene (Dan) McDowell, of Westminster, California. 

Cremation was conducted by the Neptune Society with burial at sea.  A Celebration of Life service is scheduled for Friday, August 22 at 1:00 p.m. at the Community United Methodist Church, 221 N. Main Street (Mailing Address P.O. Box 109) Yerington, Nevada 89447.