Richard Samuel Dowell Jr.

Richard S. Dowell, Jr., 87, died peacefully in his sleep in the Norman Veterans Center, January 1, 2012. He was born on November 6, 1924 to Richard, Sr. and Lula Dowell in Louisville, KY. His family relocated soon after his birth to Tulsa, then to Muskogee, OK where he graduated from then Central High School in 1942. Like his father and mother, who both served during WWI, fresh out of high school, Richard was off to training for the war. He was a bombardier, who flew on 33 missions over Germany during WW II, and was known as the "Lucky Charm" to his flight crews because his planes always returned unscathed. After the war, Richard took a break from military service to help his father run the family office supply business. He reentered active duty in 1950, and went on to earn his Command Pilot Wings, and proudly served his country during three wars before retiring as a Major in 1968. He was known for his extreme piloting skills in the Vietnam War during the early 60's, and volunteered to fly numerous dangerous missions transporting South Vietnamese Rangers and equipment for MAC-V, well before adequate runways had been established. He was preceded in death by his father Richard Sr. and his mother Lula. He is survived by his ex-wife Beverly Dowell, four sons, Rick Dowell and Fred Dowell of Norman, Chris Dowell, Muskogee, and James Dowell of Prague; two daughters, Kimberly Steed, Norman, and Barbara Stowe, Atlanta, GA; and two grand-daughters, Ashley Stowe, Ashburn, WV, and Blair Dowell, Oklahoma City. Graveside services will be held at the Fort Gibson National Cemetery in Fort Gibson OK on Monday, January 9th at 2 PM. Funeral arrangements are by the Primrose Funeral Home in Norman.