Dennis Roger Dowell was born November 12, 1945, in the Boca Raton Army Hospital to Simeon Gordon Dowell Eva Olene Cain Dowell. His parents were stationed there during World War II while his father learned the new secret technology named radar. The family of three soon moved to Clearfield, IA, to be closer to Dennis’s grandparents. When Dennis’s dad reenlisted into the Air Force, the family of four, now including infant sister Diana, moved to San Antonio, TX, where sister Marilyn was born. The family moved back to Clearfield, then to Adel, IA, where Dennis gained three more siblings, Janet, Norma and Philip. In 1962, the eight Dowells moved to Ames, IA.
It was in elementary school that Dennis began his lifelong love with the tuba. He had been playing tuba for less than a year when Bill Riley’s Talent Scout Search had come to Adel for auditions. Dennis sat on a chair with a special stand to hold the tuba. He was so small that he couldn’t reach the mouthpiece so his dad built him a booster seat to sit on the chair. Dennis played “Asleep in the Deep” that day which ended on a very low note requiring a great deal of breath. Dennis missed the note the first time he tried to play it. And the second time, and the third time, and the fourth time. He wouldn’t quit until he finally hit that low, elusive note. When he had finished, Bill Riley stood up and said, “Now that boy is going somewhere.” And years later when he did go somewhere, people knew from his license plate that “TUBAGUY” was in the car.
In high school, Dennis was deeply involved in drama and music, earning a chair in the tuba section of the Iowa All State Bands and Orchestra all four years. It was also during high school that Dennis was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease, suffering through many treatments available at the time which affected his health for the rest of his life. Following graduation from Ames High in 1964, Dennis went to Iowa State University for a short time. ISU didn’t offer a music degree so he transferred to the University of Iowa where he earned a Bachelor’s, a Master’s, and most of a Doctorate in Music.
In 1967 he met his future wife, Suzanne Dunn, while living in the Men’s housing of Christus House Community on the west side of Dubuque Street in Iowa City. The Community gathered at the Corner House for meals and conferences. One night Dennis was tasked with cleaning up after the gathering, as was Sue, and that’s how they met. They dated and were wanting to marry in 1968 but the recurrence of Dennis’ cancer and his treatments put some time and distance between them. When Dennis returned to the U of I in 1969, they happened upon each other on a city sidewalk. They reignited their relationship and married the love of their lives on August 29, 1970.
Dennis and Sue moved to Des Moines, Iowa, on August 30, 1970. In 1979, they welcomed Richard (Rick) Dean into their home and large extended family. Subsequent moves included Oxford, IA; Des Moines, IA; Decatur, IL; Fort Madison, IA; Ligonier, IN, and finally returning to Fort Madison, IA, where Sue and Dennis had lived for 26 years. Upon Sue’s death in July 2022, Dennis moved to West Des Moines to live with Rick.
Dennis worked as a band director at Lincoln High School in Des Moines, as a purchasing agent and manager for Fruehauf Trailers, Staley Manufacturing and Sheaffer Pen and as a music teacher and bus driver for the Nauvoo Schools in Illinois.
Dennis had vocations in addition to his work. He held the positions of music director at First Christian Church in Fort Madison and director of the Nauvoo Community Band. He was a composer, creating several pieces of music, both vocal and instrumental, over the years. He was heavily involved in the Boy Scouts most of his life, earning an Eagle Scout award in his teens, and holding several positions with the Scouts. The other passion he held was that of being in the Order of Saint Francis, whose members strive to cultivate the ideals of poverty and charity. He was always seen wearing his Franciscan necklace wherever he went.
The one other job that Dennis enjoyed a little too much, was being an annoying Hawkeye fan around his five Cyclone siblings. In his musical family, on your birthday you got to choose what genre you wanted your Happy Birthday song sung. Dennis couldn’t decide quickly enough so a few of his loving sisters, who were just as annoying Cyclone fans back to him, broke out in Happy Birthday to the tune of the Iowa State Fight Song. He laughed hard with that loud boisterous laugh he had and pulled his ever-present Iowa Hawkeye cap down further on his head.
Dennis died in Clive, IA, at the Mercy Rehab Hospital on October 31, 2022. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, two brothers-in law, a sister-in-law and a nephew.
Survivors include his son, Rick Dowell of Des Moines, IA, siblings and in-laws Diana Madsen of Ames, IA, Marilyn and Dan Settle of Peoria, AZ, Janet and John Lott, of Ames, IA, Norma Dowell and friend Bonnie Hawbaker of Ankeny and Des Moines, IA, Philip and Nora Dowell of Laguna Niguel, CA, Maureen and Charles Lane of Warsaw, MO, twelve nieces and nephews and four great nieces and nephews.
Family Visitation will start at 6:00 pm Friday, November 11, 2022 followed by a Celebration and Remembrance Time at 7:00 pm at the Barr Memorial Chapel in Fort Madison, IA. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am Saturday, November 12, 2022, at Ss. Peter & Paul Church in Nauvoo, IL. A family graveside service to bury the cremated remains of Suzanne and Dennis will be held at the Ames Municipal Cemetery at 1:00 pm Sunday, November 13, 2022, in Ames, IA. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the University of Iowa Music Opportunity Fund. Barr Memorial Chapel is honored to serve the Dowell Family and an online guest book may be found at www.barrmemorialchapel.com.
