Arthur Edward Dowell III

Arthur Edward Dowell III was born July 18, 1921 in Springfield Ohio. He was the only child of parents Arthur Edward Dowell Jr and Louise Adams Dowell of Washington DC. They raised him in Washington, then he attended Peddie Boarding School in Hightstown New Jersey where he discovered his love of radios. He went on to Princeton University to study electrical engineering during the war. After graduating in 1944 he developed radar at Westinghouse in Baltimore. The goal was to make radar portable, packaged so it could be dropped from a plane to land or ship without breaking which gave it an advantage over the German heavy radar systems. After the war, Art found he could not work in a corporate environment and he left Westinghouse, went to law school at night and joined the family law firm, Alexander and Dowell, as a patent lawyer. After electronics, his second love was boating. He lived on board a steel hulled power boat on the Potomac River. There he met the third love of his life, Babette Fickert of Red Bluff, who was at the marina visiting her sister Yvonne. They married in 1956, had a single daughter Barbara in 1958 and lived in Bethesda, Md. until 1990. Art's father Arthur Jr died in 1974 and he merged law offices with his cousin Yates Dowell in Virginia. Art continued to specialize in electronics patents working on aircraft avoidance systems, semiconductor and computer inventions. After his mother died in 1990, he and Babette retired to Red Bluff. She was welcomed home by many longtime friends and he built a life volunteering for the Board of Trustees for Mercy Foundation, Turtle Bay's Board of Regents, Friends of the Library, the SIRS, the HAM radio club, and St Peter's Episcopal Church. After Babette's death in 2001, Art stayed in Red Bluff seeing friends, eating at Shari's, volunteering, cruising all over the world with Barbara and enjoying the company of Willy, his only pet. He earned Mercy Foundation North's Distinguished Service Award in 2008. He turned 90 years old north of the Arctic Circle. He fell in love with Mardith Schuetz-Miller in 2012 and they became companions till he died May 22, 2016. He was surrounded by family and friends at the end of his life, never one to miss a little party. He leaves behind daughter, Barbara, and Cam Lancaster, his son in law, and many, many friends. He may not have started life in Red Bluff, but he loved it like a native son. There will be a memorial service on June 15 at 11:00 at St Peter's Episcopal Church (510 Jefferson St, Red Bluff 527-5205). A reception will follow in the parish hall. A private burial is planned. In lieu of flowers, we would appreciate your donations in Art's name to St Peter's Episcopal.