Darnell "Don" Lee Dowden

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Darnell "Don" Dowden on February 19, 2025, at the age of 85. Don was born July 6, 1939, in Ridgetop, Tennessee to James Robert Dowden and Anna Mary Hunter Dowden. Don was the youngest of seven children and is survived by his older brother Tom. Don was predeceased by his sister Josephine Neal and his four brothers Bob, Bill, Charles, and Ronnie. Don was a devoted husband, grandfather, and friend. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Betty Bagwell Dowden; his two sons, Darnell Lee Dowden (Kimberly) and Timothy Allen Dowden (Susie); five grandchildren Hunter (Julie), Ben (Mallory), Shelbie, Meredith, and Emma; and several great grandchildren.

Don lived in Ridgetop until his junior year in high school when they moved to Nashville and Don attended Hillsboro High School. Don played several sports but excelled at basketball and was one of the team's star players. In his junior year, Hillsboro made it to the State Championship Game. After graduation, Don attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where he earned a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. While at UT, Don was active member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity where he made many lifelong friends. It was at UT where he met future wife Betty. They met in a general psychology class with over 150 students. Don introduced himself over the phone and mentioned he was in her psychology class to which Betty replied, "you and 150 other students". After several attempts Don eventually won her over and they got married right after college graduation.



After graduating college, Don was accepted into the Naval Officer Candidate School where he graduated and was assigned to the USS Okanogan in Long Beach, CA. Some of his shipmates became some of his best friends and every year he and Betty traveled all over the country to attend ship reunions, to be together with shipmates and catch up on the old times.



Don and Betty moved to Memphis in 1966, where Don worked for Liberty Mutual as a claims adjuster. Soon after, Don enrolled in Memphis State University law school and received his Juris Doctor in 1971. After beginning his career with a local Memphis attorney he formed a law firm with several partners. He subsequently became the founding partner of Dowden, Worley, Jewell, & Olswing law firm where he practiced 42 years until his retirement in 2017.

Don was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who loved his family very much. Family was a priority, and he always made sure that we celebrated family occasions and accomplishments. Whether it was vacationing together with the entire family in Destin, Florida or sailing on Captain Don's sailboat in the British Virgin Islands, these family trips together are some of our fondest memories.

Don loved life and people. He had many adventures throughout his life from learning to fly his own airplane, to traveling with his brother Tom and competing against their British friends in the Biggles Cup to sailing in the British Virgin Islands on Girl Friday with his friends and family. His greatest love was his family and he will be greatly missed by them and by all knew him.

The memorial service to celebrate Don's life will be held on Friday, March 7, at Germantown Presbyterian Church, 2363 Germantown Road South, Germantown, Tennessee. The service will be held at 11:00 a.m. with visitation immediately following.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the charity of your choice or Tunnel to Towers Foundation (https://www.T2T.org, Wounded Warrior Project (https://support woundedwarriorproject.org) or The Salvation Army https://salvationarmyusa.org.).