Joyce Henrietta McDowell
1934 - 2022

Joyce Henrietta McDowell, a Fresno native and loyal, lifelong Californian, died June 28. She was 87. Born Sept. 29, 1934, to Henry Schmidt and Bertha (Bopp) Schmidt, Joyce grew up on Fresno's west side, among her family's community of German-Russian immigrants.

As a teen, Joyce worked evenings and weekends at the Crest Theater, learning everything from box office management to personnel and advertising mark-up. After attending Fresno High School, Joyce worked in several administrative and sales positions at Gottschalks on Fulton St. She loved working in the dynamic atmosphere of a department store, particularly the buzz and crackle of energy during Christmas and other holidays.

She married her first husband, Joe White, in 1952, and raised two sons, Michael White of Soledad, and Steven White of Selma, who preceded her in death in 2017.

After her divorce, Joyce married Ben McDowell in 1967, and moved to Salinas. The couple lived and ran a bookkeeping business there for nearly 30 years, while raising their son, William McDowell of Evanston, Ill. Following Ben's death, she returned to Fresno in 1999 to be near family.

Among her many hobbies, Joyce was an avid cook, gardener and orchid grower. She took particular pride making jams, pickles and preserves from fruits and vegetables she grew herself. Her Christmas baking and candies were legendary, especially her grandmother's legendary German peppermint cookies.

In addition to sons Michael and William, Joyce is survived by a grandson, Thomas of Evanston.

In lieu of flowers, please direct any memorial contributions to a favorite charity.