Thomas F. Dowell

1922 - 2014

Dowell, Thomas F. 05/02/1922 ~ 05/23/2014 Dowell, Juliet G. 01/07/1933 ~ 05/30/2014 BONITA -- Tom (92) and Julie (81) passed away peacefully at the end of May, 2014. They were married for 59 years, still very much in love, and lived together to the end. Even with Julie's advanced Alzheimer's they would sit together holding hands. They were wonderful parents and grandparents, always supportive and giving of themselves. Tom was born in Liverpool, England. At 15 (1937), he joined the RAF as an apprentice with dreams of flying. Once WW II started, he went to North Africa. In 1943 (at 21) Tom was finally posted to fighter pilot training in Southern Rhodesia, and won the RAF air-to-ground firing competition and the 100 yard breaststroke swimming championship. Tom received his wings in 1945, just before VE Day. Following WWII, he earned a BS degree in civil engineering from Kingston Tech. Tom was an aerospace engineer (stress/structural) for de Havilland's, Vickers, Avro's, Grumman and Rohr. He worked on the VC10, Concord, SST and many others, and investigated multiple crashes of the Comet, the first commercial jetliner. He was a designer of the Avro's secret 1956 flying saucer. Tom was a life-long competitive swimmer, Masters national champion and a FINA- recognized Masters world record relay member. He was a spectator at the 1948 and 1984 Olympic swimming finals. Tom also enjoyed his backyard pool with family. Julie was born at Potters Bar, England. She was the fastest runner in school. On VE Day (1945), Julie and her dad went to Buckingham Palace, with Winston Churchill and the royals waving from the balcony. After high school, Julie became a seamstress and once made a driving outfit for a famous British racecar driver. Tom and Julie married in 1955 in England. In 1956 they moved to Toronto, Canada for a job at Avro's where Mike was born, and Julie won the first place trophy at her tennis club. They moved to New York for a job at Grumman where Pete was born in 1959, and returned to England in 1960 for a job at Vickers, where Rob was born in 1962. Julie found she had a gift for art, making beautiful ceramic sculptures. In 1966 the family moved to San Diego for a job at Rohr Industries. They bought the house in Bonita where their sons grew up, grandkids played in the pool, and Christmas mornings were enjoyed for many happy years. Tom worked at Rohr from 1966 through retirement in 1989. After retiring, Tom made many beautiful things from wood. They were very involved with the Church of the Good Shepherd, with Tom volunteering as handyman and Julie volunteering for Meals on Wheels. Julie was deeply spiritual and counseled people in need. Tom and Julie are survived by their sons Mike, Pete and Rob, and families, and Julie's sister Miriam. A combined memorial service will be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd at 3990 Bonita Road, Bonita, at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 5, 2014. Refreshments provided.