Ernestine Dowdell

Family and Friends honor the life of Annie Ernestine Dowdell at the time of her passing at home in her sleep on July 8, 2024. Annie Ernestine Dunston was born April 11, 1923, in Hamlet, North Carolina, and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina with her sister, Lillian, by parents Walter Allen Dunston and Virginia Clemons Bryant Dunston.
Ernestine attended Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina where she majored in early childhood education. Throughout college she continued to pursue interests in music and performance nurtured in high school, singing in the choir and providing piano accompaniment for vocal concerts. At Shaw, Ernestine was proud to be initiated as a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Alpha Zeta Sigma Chapter, and she continued to be acknowledged for her long-time affiliation throughout her life.
Following college, Ernestine pursued graduate work at Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia where she met her husband, Francis Lee Dowdell (d. 1996) who was completing a master's degree in social work at the Atlanta University School of Social Work following his service as a first lieutenant in the army during World War II. Francis and Ernestine married on July 6, 1949, in Raleigh, NC.
Upon relocation to Cincinnati, Francis and Ernestine worked in education their careers until retirement. Ernestine taught primary grades in the Cincinnati Public School system, while Francis was a high school guidance counselor and assistant principal at several high schools.
Ernestine was an active member of the Cincinnati Recreation Center's North Avondale Classic Seniors since the 1990's. She served as president of the Classic Seniors for many years and arranged several memorable group outings. Among the favorite were open rehearsals of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Music Hall and special exhibits at Krohn Conservatory. She was recognized and inducted into the Fifth Third Bank Club Senior Citizen Hall of Fame on October 2, 2002, for her efforts on their behalf.
Among her favorite activities were line dancing, yoga and knitting. She traveled locally and across the country with the Hamilton County Retired Teachers Association. She also enjoyed attending music concerts at local churches, including regular attendance at the organ concert series at Hyde Park Church. In recent years, Ernestine attended First Baptist Church in Mount Healthy with her sister, Lillian Snow (d. 2019).
Ernestine is survived by three children, LaVida Dowdell of Brooklyn, NY, Francis L. (Cisco) Dowdell, Jr. of Cincinnati, and Carla Lynn Dowdell of Palm Springs, CA, and two grandchildren, Charles William Crawford and Mia Marie Dowdell.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Ernestine Dowdell, please visit our floral store.