Obituary for Kelly McDowell
Linda Kelly-McDowell, 75, of Solebury, PA, formerly of Lambertville, NJ, died at her home on Monday, March 23, 2020.
Known professionally as Kelly McDowell and to family and friends as Kelly, she owned and operated Kelly McDowell Antiques in Lambertville for 35 years. Her business success was based on her sharp sense of design and beauty, her love of fine workmanship and her talent for bringing furniture, art and color together to create comfortable and welcoming environments. She had a special flair and appreciation for Asian influence in design. Kelly also was a dealer in fine heirloom jewelry. A gifted gardener, Kelly had a second career as a landscape designer. Her gardens and window boxes were truly works of art. Kelly and Doug opened their garden to the Kalmia Club’s Annual Hidden Garden Tour. Together she and Doug were certified as “Tree Tenders” after completing a program with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. She retired 3 years ago.
Born in Philadelphia and raised in the city’s Fox Chase section, Kelly’s appreciation of fine craftsmanship started in her family home which her father had built himself. She earned an associate degree in therapeutic recreation from the Abington Campus of Penn State and then later was the first person to graduate from that campus with a bachelor’s degree in art. She started her business at the People’s Store in Lambertville. Later Kelly relocated her business to her residence on Coryell Street combining her gracious home and showroom in one location.
Kelly was active in her community. She was a past president of the Lambertville Area Chamber of Commerce. She was instrumental in her neighborhood’s beautification, promoting brick sidewalks, lighting and decorative parking meters reflecting the historic design of the residences. She volunteered at the Lambertville Public Library and was a supporter of the LBGQT community through the Hyacinth Foundation and FACT Bucks County, addressing AIDS awareness and patient needs and services. Kelly was also a supporter of the # Me Too movement.
A patron of the arts, Kelly loved monthly trips to New York City and was a member of many museums in both New York City and the Philadelphia are. She and her husband were world travelers having visited over thirty different countries. Kelly had a special fondness for the Spoleto Arts Festival in Charleston, S.C. An avid reader, she amassed a considerable collection of art-related books as well as a wide variety of treasured books on a wide range of other topics..
Kelly is survived by her treasured husband and life partner Doug McDowell; her son Thomas Kelly, Jr.; her grandchildren Ryan and Audrey; her sister Joan Manning; her niece Jennifer Knodle and her step-children Brandy Wiegel, and Theodore, Trent,and John McDowell and their families. She was predeceased by her parents John Robert Migliore and Margaret Elizabeth Wartman Migliore; her sister Susan Van Zandt and her niece Cynthia Van Zandt.
Memorial services will be scheduled for a future date.
Donations in Kelly’s memory may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104 (splcenter.org).
Arrangements are by the Van Horn-McDonough Funeral Home, 21 York Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530 (vhmfh.com).
Known professionally as Kelly McDowell and to family and friends as Kelly, she owned and operated Kelly McDowell Antiques in Lambertville for 35 years. Her business success was based on her sharp sense of design and beauty, her love of fine workmanship and her talent for bringing furniture, art and color together to create comfortable and welcoming environments. She had a special flair and appreciation for Asian influence in design. Kelly also was a dealer in fine heirloom jewelry. A gifted gardener, Kelly had a second career as a landscape designer. Her gardens and window boxes were truly works of art. Kelly and Doug opened their garden to the Kalmia Club’s Annual Hidden Garden Tour. Together she and Doug were certified as “Tree Tenders” after completing a program with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. She retired 3 years ago.
Born in Philadelphia and raised in the city’s Fox Chase section, Kelly’s appreciation of fine craftsmanship started in her family home which her father had built himself. She earned an associate degree in therapeutic recreation from the Abington Campus of Penn State and then later was the first person to graduate from that campus with a bachelor’s degree in art. She started her business at the People’s Store in Lambertville. Later Kelly relocated her business to her residence on Coryell Street combining her gracious home and showroom in one location.
Kelly was active in her community. She was a past president of the Lambertville Area Chamber of Commerce. She was instrumental in her neighborhood’s beautification, promoting brick sidewalks, lighting and decorative parking meters reflecting the historic design of the residences. She volunteered at the Lambertville Public Library and was a supporter of the LBGQT community through the Hyacinth Foundation and FACT Bucks County, addressing AIDS awareness and patient needs and services. Kelly was also a supporter of the # Me Too movement.
A patron of the arts, Kelly loved monthly trips to New York City and was a member of many museums in both New York City and the Philadelphia are. She and her husband were world travelers having visited over thirty different countries. Kelly had a special fondness for the Spoleto Arts Festival in Charleston, S.C. An avid reader, she amassed a considerable collection of art-related books as well as a wide variety of treasured books on a wide range of other topics..
Kelly is survived by her treasured husband and life partner Doug McDowell; her son Thomas Kelly, Jr.; her grandchildren Ryan and Audrey; her sister Joan Manning; her niece Jennifer Knodle and her step-children Brandy Wiegel, and Theodore, Trent,and John McDowell and their families. She was predeceased by her parents John Robert Migliore and Margaret Elizabeth Wartman Migliore; her sister Susan Van Zandt and her niece Cynthia Van Zandt.
Memorial services will be scheduled for a future date.
Donations in Kelly’s memory may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104 (splcenter.org).
Arrangements are by the Van Horn-McDonough Funeral Home, 21 York Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530 (vhmfh.com).