Bettie E. Dowdy Statler, 61, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, May 23, 1999, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis.

She was born May 1, 1938, at Tamms, Ill., daughter of George and Ida Poole Vaughn.

She and Larry Dowdy were married Oct. 19, 1955. He died March 3, 1985. She then married Richard L. Statler on May 31, 1998.

She moved to Cape Girardeau from Cairo, Ill., in 1985. She worked for River City Dental Art and the Cape County Transit. She also worked for Southeast Missouri Hospital from 1992 to 1998 when she retired.

She was a member of Antioch Baptist Church.

Survivors include her husband of Perryville; two sons, Roger Dowdy of Cape Girardeau and Stephen Dowdy of Lilbourn; two sisters, Louis Ashworth of Thebes, Ill., and Gwen Peyton of Carbondale, Ill.; two stepsons, Greg and Roger Statler, both of Perryville; two stepdaughters, Vicki Yates of Mill Springs and Sheila Birk of Perryville; four grandchildren; and 10 step-grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Glen Hamilton officiating. Burial will be in Shiloh Cemetery in Villa Ridge, Ill.