Oveda Nichols McDowell

Oveda Nichols McDowell, 83, of Asheville, died Sunday, January 15, 2006, at St. Joseph Hospital. A native of Rutherford County, she was a daughter of the late Willie O. and Ollie Burgin Nichols. She was also preceded in death by her husband, William Robert McDowell, who died in 1997 and by two brothers, John and B.T. Nichols who were from Old Fort. Mrs. McDowell was retired from the National Weather Center and was a member of Grace Baptist Church. She also held membership with the Daughters of the American Revolution, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Eastern Star, the National Historic Railroad Society and the Pilot Club of Asheville. She is survived by a brother, Cecil Nichols and his wife Marie of Asheville and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be 6:00 pm Tuesday in the Patton Avenue chapel of Groce Funeral Home with the Revs. Dr. L. Wayne Adkisson and Randy Melton officiating. Her family will receive friends following the service. Burial will be 11:00 am Wednesday at Green Hills Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Grace Baptist Church Building Fund, 718 Haywood Road, Asheville, NC 28806 or to Mountain Area Hospice, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813.