One of the Mon Valley area’s first newspaper women;Besse M.Dowler of Monessen; died Tuesday evening;April 2;1963;in St.Clair Hospital;Pittsburgh. She was 79. Taken ill at her home at 217 Second St.;Monessen;she was removed to the hospital several weeks ago.  When she retired in 1950;Miss Dowler was society editor and head bookkeeper of The Daily Independent;which in 1960 became The Valley Independent.  An orphan who had been reared by relatives in Centerville;she joined the infant paper in 1902;the same year it was founded.  Just 16;she learned to set type by hand;to feed job-printing presses and to perform other mechanical functions.  When  the Independent acquired its first type-setting machine;the Unitype;which was a forerunner to the modern Linotype;Miss Dowler was its operator.   Gradually she also became familiar with news-gathering and business operations of the newspaper to the point where she could fill almost any position except those requiring manual strength.  A person of quiet dignity and great loyalty;she made a major contribution to the growth and development of The Independent until she retired by her own choice in 1950 as one of Monessen’s best known and most respected businesswomen.  She was a member of First Methodist Church;Monessen.  Miss Dowler served as a guardian for Mrs.George (Lois Ross) Popovich;of Bethel Park.  Other survivors include the following cousins;Earl;Ralph and Carl Shutterly;Mrs.Pierce (Sarah) Johnson and Eleanor Shutterly;all of Monessen;Harold Shutterly;of Miami;Fla.;Mrs.Allen E.Wierman;of State College;Virginia Shutterly;of Caldwell;N.J.;Mrs.Harold (Sarah) Underwood;of Belle Vernon;and Henry Dowler;of Centerville.   Friends are being received at the Edwin Melenyzer Funeral Home in Monessen where a funeral service will be held Friday;April 5;1963;at 1:30 p.m.in charge of the Rev.Jackson A.Gabany;pastor of the First Methodist Church of Monessen.  Interment;Belle Vernon Cemetery.  Edwin Melenyzer;funeral director.