Barbara "Bobbee" Dowdal

Barbara "Bobbee" Dowdal (April 25, 1940 – July 15, 2025)

Barbara "Bobbee" Dowdal, beloved mother, grandmother and friend, “shuffled off this

mortal coil” on July 15, 2025, at the age of 85. Born on April 25, 1940, in Waukon, Iowa,

Bobbee was the youngest of eight daughters born to Mary Frances and Harlan Link.

After years of picking an untold number of strawberries, Bobbee graduated from St.

Patrick Catholic High School in Waukon. She then completed her nursing training at St.

Marys (Mayo Clinic) and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from St. Teresa in Winona, Minnesota.

Just months after graduating, in September 1962, Bobbee married Waukon native

Emmett Dowdal. Their life together began with a honeymoon adventure driving a VW

bug to the World's Fair in Seattle and lasted until Emmett's passing on February 23, 2008. He truly was the love of her life.

Bobbee and Emmett centered their world on family and worked tirelessly together to

raise their three children: Mullen, Bridgid (RJ Zayed), and Megan Dowdal. Bobbee is

also survived by grandchildren Emmett, Lucy, Isaac, and Keegan.

As her children moved into their teen years, Bobbee returned to nursing and earned a

Master’s degree from St. Francis. Over the next twenty years Bobbee helped many as a

psychiatric nurse, counselor and social worker at Mounds Park Hospital and Wilder Foundation.

Special thanks to the entire Breck Homes staff for all of their extraordinary care, love

and kindness Bobbee received over the last two years, especially Jenny, Jemima and

Maggie, the caregivers we got to know best. We also are grateful for mom's dearest

friend Patricia Murphy who supported us tirelessly, visited mom regularly and always

brought her smiles and delicious pastries. Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 AM Tuesday,

August 12, 2025, at St. Jude of the Lake Catholic Church, 700 Mahtomedi Ave,

Mahtomedi. Visitation 1 hr prior at church. In lieu of flowers, if you would like to give a

memorial please send donations to Little Sisters of the Poor or Second Harvest Heartland.