Giles Eugene McDowall Jr. (Gene) was called home Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at the age of 96. After several months of declining health, Gene died peacefully with his entire beloved family in his heart.

Services will be held at 10:30 am MT on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at the Grant County Fair Building with Pastor Bethany Haberstroh officiating. Services will also be live streamed on our website. Serving as Pallbearers will be his grandchildren and great- grandchildren. All grandchildren, great- grandchildren and great-great grandchildren will be Honorary Pallbearers. Burial will be at the Carson Community Cemetery with Military Honors being afforded by the Walter J. Thome American Legion Post #45 and the ND National Guard Honor Guard.

Visitations will be on Monday from 1:00 pm MT until the time of the family service at 6:00 pm MT at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Elgin, ND, and also one hour prior to the service at the Grant County Fair Building on Tuesday morning.

Gene was born in Carson, ND on August 14, 1924 to Giles Eugene McDowall Sr. and Margaret Anna (Simon) McDowall. The second born, Gene would be heir to the family farm which was homesteaded in 1905. He attended Carson High School and graduated in 1942. He dedicated his young life to the family farm until the love of his life Peggy Allen entered his life. They were young and in love and on December 23, 1944 traveled to Wibaux, MT to get married. Gene then joined the US Army and traveled to Japan to fight in WWII. He was very proud of his military service earning several medals while deployed.

After Gene's return to the family farm and his loving wife Peggy they together built their family home on the homestead raising cattle, hogs and planting grain crops and hay. Over the years their family grew to 9 children, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. Gene and Peggy spent 57 wonderful years together before she passed away in 2001. Gene loved his family deeply and was very proud of all of their accomplishments and did not hesitate to tell all of his friends about them.

He was also very proud of his accomplishments in his long life span including a Centennial Farm award, a trip to Alaska in June 2004 to visit his daughter Kerri and his trip to Washington, DC on the Honor Flight in May of 2009 with his daughter Marge. Gene was passionate about wood working, spending hours in his basement creating so many beautiful pieces of work, which was always made with love in his heart and given with such pride to so many family members and friends. He was always thinking of ways to improve ways of farming and ranching and "invented" many ways to improve the way hay was raked and grain was planted to name just a couple. He also was so very proud of having one of the first cell system cattle grazing operations in Grant County.

Gene was a great story teller and had a way of recounting those stories that would simply pull his audience into that story as if they were there with him at that time. Lois Stewart once commented that Gene was the history encyclopedia of the Carson area! Gene also enjoyed working with electricity, in fact that would have been his passion if farming would not have been an option. He loved reading the Reader's Digest and sharing the many jokes that he found there.

Grateful for having shared his life are seven daughters, Sandra (Ted) Peterson, Sharon (Dave) Froemming, Faye (Les) Hinzman, Marge (Ira) Bentz, Peggy (Mark) Golke, Tami McDowall, Kerri (Barry) Mann; two sons, Gene III (Marlys) McDowall, Tom, (Lisa) McDowall; 28 grand children, 27 great grandchildren ; 4 great-great grandchildren; and his special friends Dorothy Hauge, Delores Chase, Bertie Allard, Nordeen Frank, and Lowella Clarin.

Gene was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, their daughter, son, and grandson, his sisters, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Those wishing to honor Gene's lifelong commitment to family farming can make a donation to Farm Rescue using their website.

Cards may be sent to Marge Bentz at 5661 67 ^th St SW Carson, ND 58529