Kimiyo Tahira "Kimi" Dowell

Obituary of Kimiyo Tahira Dowell

Kimiyo "Kimi" Tahira Dowell was born on October 21, 1940, in Concord, California, and passed away on December 1, 2025, surrounded by the love of her family, after a courageous battle with cancer. To know Kimi was to experience kindness, gentleness, and a quiet strength grounded in a lifetime of faith, love, and service.

The third of four children-and the only daughter-of Kiyoshi and Chiyeko Sakamoto Tahira, Kimi spent her early childhood in Clayton, where her parents grew strawberries. At just a year and a half old, her life was marked by the upheaval of World War II, when she and her family were forcibly removed from their home and interned in relocation camps. After the war, the family rebuilt their lives in Concord, farming off Willow Pass Road. Even in childhood, Kimi learned resilience, humility, and the importance of caring for others-values that shaped her entire life.

A gifted student, Kimi graduated from Mt. Diablo High School with honors, receiving both the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Award and a University of California, Berkeley Alumni Scholarship. She then completed a B.A. in Economics from UC Berkeley in just three years. She was awarded the Phoebe Hearst Scholarship and her Master of Library Science degree, graduating near the top of her class and being invited to join the Beta Phi Mu International Honorary Society. She then continued at Berkeley as a post-graduate teaching assistant.

Kimi married Captain Norio Endo, USN, and lovingly raised their four children while supporting his career as a U.S. Navy pilot. Their many moves-including five years in Tokyo-were seasons Kimi embraced with grace. While in Japan, she established a library for Reuters Japan Limited, demonstrating her lifelong talent for creating opportunity and connection wherever she went.

In midlife, when her youngest child entered high school away from home, Kimi pursued a new dream: the law. She earned her Juris Doctorate, graduating magna cum laude from the Washington College of Law at American University, where she founded and served as president of the Intellectual Property Law Club. She later served as acting general counsel for American Public Television Stations and as an Associate Attorney in the Office of General Counsel at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

After marrying David Dowell-whom she had known since their Loma Vista Intermediate and Mt. Diablo High School days-Kimi transferred to the Employee Benefits Security Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, in San Francisco. She retired in 2014 as Deputy Regional Director after 22 years of dedicated and principled public service.

Kimi and David married in 1999 after reconnecting at their 40-year Mt. Diablo High School reunion. They delighted in sharing that their paths never crossed at UC Berkeley-David joked that he was at fraternity parties while Kimi was studying in the library. Their shared life was marked by tenderness, joy, and deep devotion to Christ. Together they worshipped at the First Presbyterian Church of Concord, serving as co-Deacons, hosting fellowship hours, arranging altar flowers, and attending Bible studies hand-in-hand.

Every chapter of Kimi's life was marked by love expressed through service. After retiring, she became the devoted caretaker of her two elderly aunts. She mentored more than 75 law students, many of whom continued to seek her guidance long after their internships ended. She championed a project that awarded honorary diplomas to Japanese American students from Mt. Diablo High School whose educations were interrupted by WWII internment-a work that earned her recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International.

Kimi supported family, friends, classmates, colleagues, neighbors, her church family, and even strangers who crossed her path. Her warmth made every room gentler, every burden lighter, and every person feel seen.

A lifelong learner, Kimi found joy in sailing, tennis, skiing, piano, oil painting, ballet, reading, and later, opera. She often laughed that she hoped to live long enough to see Cal return to the Rose Bowl after their 1959 appearance while she was attending Cal. From above, she is surely cheering, "Go Bears!"

Kimi is forever grateful for the compassionate care of Dr. Michael Sherman and the Contra Costa Oncology team.

She is survived by her children, Michelle Cole (John), Tracy Balazs (Mike), Kiyomi Endo, and Bill Endo (Shari); six grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. She is also cherished by her Dowell family-Jim Dowell (Justine), Tony Dowell, and Loren Dowell (Emily); eleven Dowell grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. She is survived by her brothers Jerry Tahira (Joyce), Ted Tahira (Shigeko), and Cosmo Tahira, along with many dear Tahira, Endo, and Dowell nieces and nephews.

Memorial gifts may be made to:

First Presbyterian Church of Concord, Concord, California, or

United Service Organizations (USO)

Memorial Service

Saturday, January 10, 2026

11:00 AM

First Presbyterian Church of Concord

1965 Colfax Street

Concord, CA 94520

Telephone: (925) 914-0429