Obituary for Donald J. Dowling Jr. Donald (Don) John Dowling, Jr., a/k/a “Daddy Don,” died suddenly and unexpectedly August 15, 2018. Don was born January 11, 1929, to Mildred (Ready) and Don Dowling, Sr., in St. Louis, MO. He graduated from Cleveland High School then earned a Chemical Engineering degree from the Missouri School of Mines, where he co-captained the football team.
From 1951 to 1953, he served in the Army Corp of Engineers. He married Kathleen Ena Lappin on October 10, 1953 and they moved to Memphis, TN, where they started their family and Don began his career with Buckeye Cotton Oil Company, later Buckeye Cellulose. He leaves a large family he loved dearly.
They already miss his warmth, his humor and his smile. Those surviving include children Sally Gasior, Ann Shorter (Carl), Tessie Meyer (Paul), Don, III (Michelle), Tom (Kim), and David (Marie); his sister Kathy Neill (Tim), and two more generations. He was “Daddy Don” to his 29 surviving grandchildren – John Steffan, IV (Jessie), Rachel Steffan Parker (Tate), Tom Gasior II (Anne), Maureen Shorter Esposito (Marcus), Mary Elizabeth Steffan, Chris Meyer (Kathryn), Edward Gasior, Allison Meyer, Paul Steffan, Will Shorter, Matthew Shorter, Hannah Dowling Ortega (Matt), Mary Catherine Meyer Adams (Jordan), Collin Dowling, Grace Ann Shorter Flowers (Parks), Morgan Dowling, Jack Dowling, Connor Dowling, Amanda Dowling Ramirez (Gonzalo), Kelsey Dowling, Maggie Dowling, Preston Dowling, Bridget Dowling, John Dowling, Fenton Dowling, Amelia Dowling, Michael Dowling, Gianna Dowling, Liam Dowling – and eighteen great-grandchildren (plus two greats due in September), “Uncle Buddy” to his sisters’ children, and always had a smile for Lappin nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by wife Kathy, daughter Peggy Dowling Steffan, grandson Dominic Meyer, sister Patricia Dowling Foristel, and his parents. Don was a man of faith. The Dowlings were a founding family of St. Louis Catholic Church, where he regularly attended noon weekday mass over the last few years.
He helped bring the Cursillo movement to Memphis in 1964 and was a generous benefactor to his church communities. He was a man of family, even beyond that family’s sheer size. He enriched childhoods with swim teams, softball, baseball, soccer, travel, and his love of Cardinal baseball and Tiger basketball (the latter of which frequently contributed to some occasional grouchiness).
He supported us in good times and bad, provided a “scholarship fund” for his grandchildren, and was always just a call away on his trusty flip phone. He was a man of leadership. At Buckeye, he mentored young engineers, reached out in the community to hire more minorities, and was known as the “Lint Lion”.
He served as a president of the St. Louis Men’s Club, where he helped start the Hole-In-One Tournament and broke tradition by taking his daughters to Father-Son pancake breakfasts. Don refereed high school football and was part of a chain crew on the sidelines for the Memphis Tigers, the USFL Showboats, and Liberty Bowl games (including Bear Bryant’s last game in 1982). He was instrumental in starting the East Memphis Soccer Association in the late 1970s.
After retiring from Buckeye, he was a building manager for Habitat for Humanity and the self-appointed “athletic director” for Madonna Learning Center before he and Kathy enjoyed several years in Sun City West, AZ, before her death in 1998. Visitation, with a rosary afterwards, will take place Monday, August 20, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Canale Funeral Directors, 2700 Union Avenue Extended. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 21, at Saint Louis.
Interment to follow at Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Madonna Learning Center or St. Louis Church. The family would like to recognize Don’s friend Kathleen Peterson of Sun City, AZ, and express special thanks to Daddy Don’s friend and caregiver, Theresa Baker.
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Donald J. Dowling Jr. please visit our Sympathy Store. Cemetery Details Calvary Cemetery 1663 Elvis Presley Blvd Memphis, TN, 38106 , Previous Events Visitation , AUG 20. 05:00 PM – 07:00 PM Canale Funeral Directors 2700 Union Avenue Extended Memphis, TN, US, 38112 info@canalefuneraldirectors.com www.
canalefuneraldirectors.com Rosary , AUG 20. 07:05 PM Canale Funeral Directors 2700 Union Avenue Extended Memphis, TN, US, 38112 info@canalefuneraldirectors.com www. canalefuneraldirectors.com Funeral Mass , AUG 21.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
