Charles McDowell

MCDOWELL, Dr. Charles Wheeler

Dr. Charles Wheeler McDowell of Stone Mountain, GA, entered into Heaven on July 9, 2023. We know his late son, Chuck McDowell, was waiting there for him with open arms. Born on June 5, 1935, Mac, as he liked to be called, was the son of the late Charles and Ruth McDowell and older brother of the late Patricia McDowell Threlkeld.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon; son, Michael (Elaine), grandchildren Mary (Brent), Zoe, and Ben (Chrissy); daughter, Cindy Dillon (Keith); grandson, Brent (Katy Mac), great-granddaughter Myers; grandson, Tyler (Samantha); great-grandchildren, Emilia and Haley; stepdaughter, Lindsay Ferrier; grandchildren, Jack and Gigi; stepson, Ty Hudson (Monique); grandchildren, Christian, Sophie, and Gabrielle; daughter-in-law, Corrie McDowell; grandson, Robert (Mary Alice), great-grandchildren, Charlie and Winnie; granddaughter Lauren Moultrie (John) and great-grandchildren, Wheeler, Reed, and Max. He also leaves behind a wealth of extended family members and dear friends.

Mac graduated from Decatur High School in 1953, where he was student body president and a celebrated athlete. He turned down a football scholarship at the University of Georgia in order to pursue medicine at Tulane University and Tulane Medical School. While there, he was president of the ATO fraternity and a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and Phi Delta Epsilon.

After graduating from medical school in 1960, Mac began practicing ophthalmology in Decatur, Georgia and continued seeing patients until he retired 60 years later in September of 2021 at the age of 86. During his long career, he was president of Dekalb Medical Society and a member of the GA Society of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Ophthalmology.

In addition to his career, Mac had a rich personal life. He was a longtime member of the Atlanta Athletic Club, where he served on the board of directors, and an elder at Perimeter Church in Duluth. He was an avid golfer, runner and hiker for much of his life and once climbed Mt. Denali. He raised Quarter Horses, kept bees and rabbits, gardened, foraged for mushrooms, traveled the world, made legendary gumbo, and always had a corny joke at the ready.

Mac's priorities though, were his faith and his family. You couldn't know Mac without knowing exactly where he stood on spiritual matters, but he shared his faith in a way that made people want to listen. More than anything, he loved spending time with his family, although Braves games may have been a close second. He was beloved by all who knew him and will be missed by many.

A memorial service is planned for Thursday, July 13 at 10:30 AM at Pebblebrook at Park Springs, 5610 Bermuda Road SW, Stone Mountain, GA.