Mrs. Cynthia McGowen Horwood McMeans

Cynthia Olive Palmer McGowen McMeans Cynthia Olive Palmer McGowen McMeans, aged 92, passed away peacefully on October 10, 2014 to meet her loving Heavenly Father. Cynthia was born on January 14, 1922. The family will receive friends for visitation today, Oct. 12, 2014, from 5 until 8 p.m. at Kilgore-Green Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held Monday, Oct. 13, 2014, at 11 a.m. in the Kilgore-Green Chapel with the Rev. Keith Lewis, Rev. Alfred Hartley and Ben Wright officiating. She spent the first 23 years of her life in her birthplace of Chesham Bucks, England. As World War II raged in Europe, she met, fell in love, and married William Hoyt McGowen, an American airman from Kansas, Alabama. She sailed on the Queen Mary to the United States at the young age of 24 as a war bride with their one-year old daughter, Catherine Elizabeth. She and “Mac” were happily married for 52 years. In 1974, her only grandchild was born. Joel Douglas Abbott became and remained the delight of her life. Although she retained her British citizenship, she was committed to giving sacrificially of herself to family, church and country. She became a British Red Cross volunteer at age 18 in her native country of England and continued her service in the Walker County Chapter of American Red Cross. As a vital part of her life, she coordinated the volunteers for chapter house blood drives each month. During the last three years of her life, when she could no longer attend, she coordinated the blood drive volunteers from her home. She actively participated in the SHARE program assisting those in need for many years. Her compassion for those less fortunate was evident through her work with the American Red Cross. She has received almost every award the American Red Cross offers including nominee for National Volunteer of the Year. She loved her church family at Kansas Baptist Church and worshipped there for all the years that she and “Mac” were married, until his passing in 1999, and beyond. There she served at different times as church secretary and clerk, Training Union teacher, and G.A. Director. In 2005, through an arranged meeting by friends, she was introduced to David Elois McMeans. After they were married and until his passing in 2006, she worshipped with the congregation at West Walker Church of Christ. She continued to worship there as often as her health would allow her to attend. Her hobbies included oil painting, especially English cottages and knitting scarves. She gardened along side “Mac”, giving away, freezing and canning fresh vegetables in the summer. Her passion was American Red Cross and her compassion was for her 10 cats and any other homeless or stray animal that crossed her path. It was not uncommon for her to carry dry cat and dog food in the car and stop to feed a stray animal on the side of the road. A daily part of her life which was shared with her daughter was drinking a pot of hot tea at 4:00 in the afternoon. Prayer was a huge part of her life. Her legacy will live on through the lives that have been touched by her throughout the years. She was preceded in death by her first husband, William Hoyt “Mac” McGowen and her second husband, David Elois McMeans; parents, Olive Catherine Palmer Horwood and Andrew Horwood; brother, Andrew Brian Palmer; and sister-in-law, Irene Palmer. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Catherine Elizabeth McGowen Abbott and Douglas Abbott; grandson and granddaughter-in-law, Dr. Joel Douglas Abbott and Che’ Shackelford Abbott; four nephews, Brian, Stephen, David and Jeffery Palmer and their families in England; special great niece, Davalyn Palmer; two sisters-in-law and two brothers-in-law and their families in the U.S.; special cousin, Pauline Gregory and her family in England; and special English friend, Muriel Whybrow. Pallbearers will be Barry Lee, Jeff Lee, Dr. Kyle Eaton, Jim McGowen, Glen Houlditch, Tom Bole, Doug Booth, and Rev Jerry Boyd. Volunteers from the American Red Cross will serve as honorary pallbearers. In lieu of flowers, the family requests you consider memorials to the Walker County Chapter of American Red Cross, Walker County Humane Society, Kansas Baptist Church or West Walker Church of Christ.