Mark McDowell, 56
February 10, 1970 – October 1, 2026
Mark Allen McDowell (also lovingly referred to as Marky) was born on February 10, 1970, to Ronda and Clyde McDowell in Sherman, Mississippi. He died of cancer on October 1, 2026, at 56 years of age. He lived in North Mississippi for most of his life and attended East Union in Blue Springs, Mississippi, for his K-12 education. After graduating from high school, he attained an Associate of Arts (AA) degree in Marketing and Business Administration from Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville. Mark later moved to Pensacola, Florida, to be closer to his family, where he worked in management and sales in major electronics stores.
After a few years in Florida, Mark relocated to Long Beach, California, where he met his longtime partner, Lisa. Mark became ill with schizophrenia while living in Long Beach at the age of 34 and wanted to return to New Harmony to live next door to his adoring maternal grandmother, Dorothy Rakestraw. Mark and his mother, Ronda, lived with his grandmother Dorothy and his grandfather Charles while his dad, Clyde, was serving in the Vietnam War. Mark, Dorothy’s first grandchild, was one of her “favorites.” They had a close relationship that only became stronger with time. Mark lived in New Harmony until the end of his life.
Often described by friends, family, and colleagues as generous, kind, and charming, Mark softened the spaces he entered with a warm smile and steady, quiet energy. Mark extended his warmth to humans and animals. The sport of hunting never interested him. His attention to wildlife was caring and communal. He knew the name of every single species of bird that made its way to his home and could recite their names from the sound of their calls.
On what he called his weekly “Pontotoc day,” he drove his pickup to the grocery store and then the feed store to stock up on several 50-lb. bags of black oil sunflower seeds and cat food to feed birds, squirrels, raccoons, and anyone else who might need a meal. His home, nestled in the woods of New Harmony, was akin to a wildlife retreat where the sunlight glistens through the trees and the songs of many colorful birds fill the air. Turns out, it takes a lot of bags to feed such a sanctuary. Mark maintained his sense of humor, even on hard days, and he brought that humor with him to family gatherings, whenever and wherever they might be.
He will be forever missed by his mother, Ronda McDowell; his sister Amy McDowell; his brother-in-love, Alberto del Arco; his niece, Rudy del Arco-McDowell; and his extended family and friends. Mark was preceded in death by his father, Allen Clyde McDowell; his maternal grandparents, Dorothy and Charles Rakestraw of New Harmony, Mississippi; and his paternal grandparents, Jean and Fieldon Terry of Blue Springs, Mississippi.
A service honoring Mark will take place on Saturday, October 3, at United Funeral Home, 700 MS-15, New Albany, MS 38652. Visitation will be held from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, with the funeral service immediately following.
In memory of Mark’s lifelong love of animals, please consider making a memorial donation to Mississippi Wildlife Rehabilitation, Inc. by visiting this link https://www.mswildliferehab.org/donate/
Please follow the funeral home link above for further information, or to send online condolences or memorial gifts.
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