Obituary of Kenneth Roy Dowd
Kenneth Roy Dowd (Ken)
Ken passed away after a short illness surrounded by family on Friday, December 13th at the age of 94. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Della (nee Richardson), children Ann (Dave) Hotson, Sean (Marian) in Spain, Tim (Amy), Joe (Aviva) in Nebraska, Mary Pat (Matt) McKay in Oxford Mills, grandchildren Sarah (Brian) Sebben, Michael (Sarah) Hotson, Andrew (Maggie), Emma and Rowan Dowd, Patrick, Connor, Ryan and Graham (Skye) Dowd, Ian, Sam and Rachel Dowd and Briar, Neve, and Angus McKay, great grandchildren Maddison, Alexis and Chelsea Sebben, Olivia, William and Holly Hotson, and Abigail and Colin Dowd. He is also survived by brothers Jim and Gerry Dowd, in- laws Reg, Bill (Margaret), John (Donna) and Joanne Richardson. He is predeceased by infant son Patrick, siblings Bill (Gerry), Eleanor (Byron) Mills and Marilyn (Frank) Richardson, in-laws Veronica (Ed) Cookson, Gerry (Pat) Richardson, Michael Richardson, Ruth and Julie Richardson, and Patricia Dowd.
Ken was born in 1930 on October 9th, in Hamilton, ON. Ken was active with the Catholic church and met the love of his life, Della, though the Young Peoples of St. Catharines. He had a sense of service for his community and a love of learning. Ken’s father worked for the Grantham Fire Department and in 1956 Ken joined him, working for 35 years and retiring at the position of Acting Platoon Chief. He was immensely proud when his son Tim, granddaughter Briar, and grandson Graham also became firefighters. Ken’s sense of service continued as his family grew. If he knew someone needed help, he was there. He started out helping friends with carpentry projects and soon he had a second job finishing basements, adding bathrooms and even refinishing furniture on his days off. He was always active in his children’s sports, coaching CYO hockey and Optimus fast ball. He also loved to hike and camp and enjoyed teaching his children to love the outdoors. When his kids grew older, they became active in rowing and Ken was right there with them. He became involved with the Rowing Alumni and could often be seen around Henley Island doing whatever needed to be done. He was a long-time volunteer with the St. Catharines Rowing Club and served as past President of the Rowing Alumni. He was involved at St. Alfred’s Church as a reader and later serving on the altar for many years. When he retired, he and Della developed a passion for travelling and visited several countries. Instead of vacations they went on adventures to places such as China, Russia, Turkey, Poland and throughout Europe. Ken was an avid golfer and you could always find him on the course playing a round or two. Saturday mornings were reserved for garage sales. He would plan his route and hunt for his next treasure. Those treasures could later be found under the Christmas tree wrapped in the coloured comics. (He was a frugal man after all). He loved spending time with family, and he could turn a small visit into a party.
Ken was a great storyteller and loved regaling his children and grandchildren with stories of how he and Roy Rogers won the west. He was proud of his Irish background and loved learning about Ireland and its history and culture.
We would like to thank the staff at the Meadows of Dorchester for all their help and support throughout this challenging time. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Meadows of Dorchester or the Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region.