OXFORD — Dr. Leslie Lee McDowell, 84, died Sunday, Oct. 24, 2015, at the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Oxford, after a brief illness. A funeral service will be held Friday, at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Oxford with the Rev. Ann Kelly and the Rev. John Semmes officiating. Burial will follow in Oxford Memorial Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday from 4-6 p.m. at Waller Funeral Home, which is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Bernie, Missouri, he held three degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Upon finishing his PhD in 1960, he and his wife moved to Oxford and chose to remain here after his retirement.

He suffered a massive stroke at the age of 58, forcing his retirement in 1989. He was a retired Research Soil Scientist. McDowell was at the USDA Sedimentation Laboratory in Oxford for 29 years, having held the position of Senior Research Leader at retirement.

He was a duck hunter and fisherman, a member of Ducks Unlimited and a life member of the NRA. He served four years in the United States Air Force and was a third-degree Mason. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Oxford.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Kay Stiles McDowell of Oxford; son, Peter Thomas McDowell of Nashville, Tennessee; daughter, Linda McDowell of Doylestown, Pennsylvania; and two grandchildren.

To view or sign an online guestbook, visit www.wallerfuneralhome.com or call 662-234-7971.