Willa Mae McDowell

Willa Mae McDowell was a native Californian. She was born in Taft, on October 24, 1925. Her parents were Grady and Nola Rogers, and she was the youngest of five children. She had three older brothers, J.G., Hoyt, and Lee. Her sister, June, was 2 years older. The family moved to Bakersfield in 1929 when Willa Mae was four. They lived in a house on Potomac Avenue.

While the boys were graduates of Bakersfield High School, June and Willa Mae graduated from the new high school, East Bakersfield High School. Willa Mae graduated in 1943.

The Spoken Code of Shorthand

Willa Mae and her sister, June, were very close. They shared many interests, such as taking shorthand in high school. They even used to talk to each other in shorthand as they did the dishes. Speaking the sounds of shorthand sounded like a foreign language, and they would use it as a sort of code. Willa Mae’s favorite line to say in shorthand was, “T s f n t oo t ah k n disjoined nt.” Which means, “It is fun to talk in shorthand.”

Education & Career

After graduating high school, Willa Mae became a stenographer. In 1944, Willa Mae began her career at Southern Pacific Railroad. She enjoyed working as a stenographer, for the railroad, for 42 years.

Marriage & Family

In 1955, after dating for four years, Willa Mae married Melvin McDowell on July 10th. They were married for 58 years until Melvin’s death in 2013. Melvin was an elementary school teacher and Willa Mae was a stenographer. They had three children, Mary, Tim, and Jim.

Piano Duets

June and Willa Mae both took piano lessons, which led to piano lessons for all of their children as well. Many times the six cousins would hear Willa Mae and June playing duets on the piano. Two of their favorite duets were “Chopsticks” and “Shave and a Haircut, Six Pence”. Willa Mae also enjoyed playing hymns on the piano. Two of her favorite hymns were, “Have Thine Own Way Lord,” and “The Old Rugged Cross.”

Retirement

Willa Mae enjoyed her career at the railroad. She had a 42 year career with Southern Pacifice, working in various departments through the years. After retiring from the railroad in 1987, Willa Mae enjoyed her grandchildren. She was always willing to babysit whenever needed. She liked to help her grandchildren memorize math facts, states and capitals, and the books of the Bible.

Church & Books of the Bible

First Baptist Church on Truxtun Avenue was the church Willa Mae and her family attended for many years. She would read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation through the year. She would feel a great sense of accomplishment to have completed this, and she encouraged others to read the Bible through the year with her. She taught her three children as well as her grandchildren to memorize the Books of the Bible, in order, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. To this day, many of them do remember most of the books in order. They can look back and thank Willa Mae for that. The past few years Willa Mae has attended Southwest Christian Center with her sons Tim and Jim.

Birthday Memories

Willa Mae had an exceptional memory and prided herself on remembering birthdays of friends and family. She loved to surprise people by calling them on their birthdays for a short chat and to wish them a happy day. Sometimes she would even stop by for a visit with a birthday cake. She delighted in their surprise at her remembering their birthdays.

Telephone

Another favorite past time of Willa Mae’s was talking on the phone. She spoke with friends and family everyday. Sometimes many times a day. She would keep everyone current on what was happening or what appointments or events were coming. Willa Mae was an early riser. She would often be surprised that some people were still sleeping when she called them in the morning, since she had already been up for hours. She gave Tim a wake up call every morning at 6 o’clock for many years. Sometimes she would forget that it was the weekend and still give him that 6 o’clock call! It was one way she liked to start her day, by giving Tim that 6 o’clock wake up call.

Helpful & Caring

Willa Mae loved to be with friends and family. Whenever anyone needed anything, she was there to help. She liked being able to help, and was blessed with good health most of her life. She was loved and will be missed by her family and friends. She has left us with many good memories.

Survivors

Willa Mae is survived by her three children: Mary and her husband, Armando Chavez, Tim and his wife, Debbie, and Jim and his wife Debbie L. McDowell. Grandchildren: Kimber and her husband Ty Hardin, Austin Chavez, Jessica and her husband Jerry Liebenow, Kevin DeRose, Timmy, Kelsey, Cordell, Kyle, Mallorie, and Caleb McDowell. Great-Grandchildren: Lainey and Luke Liebenow, Alessandra and Evianna Hardin, and Joseph DeRose.