Shirley McDowell, 86, of Scarborough, passed away peacefully on Monday, May 22, 2023 surrounded by her loving family.
Born in Troy, N.Y. on Feb. 6, 1937, Shirley was the oldest daughter of Randall and Ruth Manchester. She attended Emma Willard School in Troy and graduated from Middlebury College with her Bachelor of Science in geology, where she met her future husband, Lester McDowell, while skating at the college ice rink.
Shirley went on to work for the USGS in Washington, D.C. before later moving to Andover, Mass. Shirley volunteered at the local YMCA for many years. After her children went off to college, they moved to Scarborough in 1992 and opened Shirley’s Hallmark Card & Gift Store. She went on to own and operate two Hallmark Gift Stores in Scarborough and Falmouth for over 25 years, before finally retiring at age 80.
“Captain Shirley” spent a lifetime of summers in South Bristol on the waters of Johns Bay sailing, windsurfing, and swimming. A longtime director/volunteer at the Thompson Ice House, she looked forward to participating in the ice harvests every year. She enjoyed horseback riding, sewing, reading, and genealogy.
She was predeceased by her husband, Lester, in April of 2022.
She is survived by her two sons, Steven McDowell and his sweetheart, Mickie Chadwick, of Walpole, and Eric and Dawn McDowell, of North Billerica, Mass.; her four grandchildren, Sarah, Sean, Joshua, and Connor; her younger sister, Martha Hobbs; and her niece, Christina Hobbs, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
A small gathering will be held in McFarland’s Cove later this summer. Memorial donations can be made to the Thompson Ice House via P.O. Box 216, South Bristol, ME 04568.
Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home at 612 Main St., Damariscotta, ME 04543. Condolences, and messages for her family, may be expressed by visiting stronghancock.com.
