Betty Ann Dowell, 83, Great Falls, Va.

Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

Betty Ann Dowell, 83, of Great Falls, Va., died Nov. 14, 2009, at Sunrise Assisted Living in McLean, Va.

She was born in Sibley Hospital and lived in Takoma Park.

She attended Washington Technical High School and then transferred to Eastern High, subsequently earning her GED.

She worked for MGM in Washington, D.C., and then for Prince George's County in Upper Marlboro.

She also worked for Louis Goldstein when he was Comptroller of Maryland. Her career as a civil servant began when she joined the staff of the Department of the Navy at Chesapeake Beach.

She was a native Marylander and lived in North Beach and then Chesapeake Beach.

She was active in Emmanuel Church and started a women's group there.

Her career with the Navy continued when she lived in Camp Springs.

She was an administrative assistant for the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., and retired with a combined 20 years of service.

She and her husband, Donald, moved to Orlando, Fla., where she worked for the Naval Base and lived there for 23 years.

During her lifetime, she took in a foster child, worked for the Red Cross and started a 4-H club in Chesapeake Beach.

Her hobbies included playing bridge, bingo, crosswords, cooking, line dancing and crewel embroidery.

She was a life-long registered Democrat as well as a member of the jazz club in Orlando and volunteered for the Alzheimer's Association. She also loved to travel and went on trips to the Caribbean, Mexico, England, Germany, Japan, Northeast states, California, Alaska, Texas, Florida and New York City.

Her passion was her responsibility to her family and to her work ethic. She loved to host gatherings for friends and family. She cherished her grandchildren and maintained a close relationship with them.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Dowell.

She is survived by her children, Cheryl Hermann of Norfolk, Va., and Deborah McDysan of Great Falls, Va.; grandchildren, Lee Dayton of Old Greenwich, Conn., and Peter Dayton of Redwood City, Calif.; great-grandchildren, Nicholas, Scott, Natalie, Carina and Miller; and sisters, Peggy Ward of Owings, and Helen Gillis of Springfield, Va.

Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. today, Nov. 20, at Rausch Funeral Home in Owings, where services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Capital Hospice, 6565 Arlington Blvd., Suite 500, Falls Church, VA 22042.