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Nancy Grace (Dowen) Poush, age 91, passed away peacefully from natural causes on Friday June 19, 2020 in Great Falls, Montana.
Nancy was born to Thomas Dowen and Grace (Hutchinson) Dowen on May 27, 1929 in Lewistown, Montana and grew up there as the oldest of four children. Nancy graduated from Fergus County High School in Lewistown; attended the University of Montana in Missoula; and graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley with a BA in Education.
Nancy married Donald Keith Poush on June 20, 1951 in Lewistown, Montana beginning a union that would last 69 years. Following their honeymoon, they moved to Rochester, New York, where Don worked as an educational consultant for Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company. In 1955, Nancy and Don resettled in Lewistown, Montana and raised four children including Sarah Lynn (Sally) born in Rochester, New York and Douglas Boyd, Kent David, and John Herbert, all born in Lewistown.
In addition to raising a family, Nancy was active in the Lewistown community. As a member and past secretary of the Presbyterian Church, she also taught Sunday School. She was a member and past president of AAUW; a member of the Lewistown Library Board; and a member of the Central Montana Medical Foundation Board of Directors. Nancy occasionally was called to help at school as a substitute teacher.
Nancy became a member of P.E.O. Chapter J in Lewistown on May 27, 1958. P.E.O. was important to Nancy and in her sixty-two year membership she served in all Chapter J offices; attended the International Convention in New Orleans the year Continuing Education was added to the list of educational projects; and attended the 1996 Iowa State P.E.O. Convention in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, the birthplace of P.E.O.
Nancy enjoyed many hours spent at her parents cabin on Warm Springs Creek, off of Powerhouse Road. She and Don took over the care of the cabin eventually and the entire family enjoyed time spent together at the cabin by the creek. In 1993, Nancy and Don purchased a cottage on a lake near Clitherall, Minnesota spending five months a year on Stuart Lake and seven months in Lewistown. Stuart Lake was a gathering place for many of Nancy’s relatives and extended family, some also owning cottages on Stuart. Summer was a wonderful time to be outdoors, enjoy a swim and visit with family. In 2000 they purchased a home in Billings, Montana and relocated. Nancy became an active member of Chapter E, P.E.O. in Billings. Nancy and Don moved to Great Falls in 2016 to live with Sally and her husband Ron.
Some of Nancy’s favorite hobbies included reading, watching various sports on TV, and handwork such as sewing, crewel and knitting. She enjoyed playing duplicate and contract bridge. She also played the piano. Her traveling included trips east to Ohio, W. Virginia and Washington, D.C., west to Seattle, Palm Desert, Oregon, Arizona and San Diego and south to New Orleans, Houston and Mexico plus one tour of Europe.
Nancy was preceded in death by: her husband; her parents; Don's parents Herbert Boyd and Edith Marie (Parsons) Poush; brothers Richard Claude Dowen and Thomas Dowen, Jr; sisters-n-law Marlene Dowen and Maxine Weinmeister; a niece and several nephews.
She is survived by her brother Charles Nicholas Dowen (Barnett Shepherd) of Staten Island, New York; four children: Sarah Lynn (Ronald) Green of Great Falls, Montana; Douglas (Barbara) of Lakeville, Minnesota; Kent (Doug Exworthy) of Seattle, Washington; and John of Billings, Montana. She is also survived by three grandchildren: Ashley (Jamie) Bente, Bryant (Amanda) Poush, and Lindsey (Adam) Clark plus eight great grandchildren: Rogan, Tate, Hadley, Riggs, Chasen, Ashton, Sophie and Gavin, all of Minnesota.
The family wishes to thank Highgate Senior Living Center for their care during the time Nancy spent with them. Graveside services will be held at a later date in Lewistown, Montana.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lewistown Public Library, 701 West Main Street, Lewistown, MT 59457 or the P.E.O. Project for Continuing Education online at peointernational.org.
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