J'Mel Dejuan Dowdell Sr.

Celebrating the life and legacy of J'Mel DeJuan Dowdell Sr. J'Mel was born in Indianapolis, IN, on March 28th, 1979, to Chanta Sutton and Thomas Dowdell Sr. and departed to join our heavenly father on March 30th, 2022. Those who knew J'Mel, aka "Smelly," would agree that he was multi-talented. He embodied prestige, and the byword that described him was "PERSEVERANCE." At eight years old, his artistic abilities were already developed as he drew full characters in color with a perfect likeness to the original. He continued to pursue art as a hobby and developed a passion and talent for music, he recorded several albums in the rap genre. J'Mel Dowdell Sr. had some outstanding achievements; however, the road was rocky. Life doesn't always deal us the best hand to begin playing the game of life with. He was privileged to grow up close to both sides of his family. J’Mel split his time between Indianapolis and Chicago starting at a young age earning him one of his many nicknames “Chicago/Chi”. On the way to his successes in his life, there were upsets and setbacks along the way. His perseverance was strong. He was a determined individual who knew where he wanted to go in life and what he would achieve. He wanted nothing more than to make things better for his family and friends. J'Mel loved to create, learn and travel. He obtained his GED then went on to complete a master’s degree in Graphic Arts. While attending college at Indiana State in Terra Haute, IN, he owned an off-campus music shop that sold incense and oils. He always smelled so good that people began to call him "Smell Good," which was later shortened to his nickname "Smelly" During his college years, he also dedicated himself to the brotherhood of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He really enjoyed being a part of the fraternity. He was given the line name of “KRYSIS” and crossed in 2001. J'Mel poured his heart and soul into creating "The Button Nose Kidz." The Button Nose Kidz is a group of children's cartoon characters teaching tolerance and non-violence through music and learning. Not only is J'Mel the originator of The Button Nose Kidz LLC, but he was also the designer of characters, creator of music, writer of scripts, and CEO of the company. J'Mel presented The Button Nose Kidz at various toy trade shows around the country for the last 10 years. He created clothing lines and children's products related to the Button Nose characters. The Stop the Bullying Tour was a series of plays J'Mel wrote, produced, and performed for children at schools around the city. In his pursuit of becoming a successful entrepreneur, J'Mel established various businesses. In addition to the Button Nose Kidz non-profit organization, J'Mel established a hospitality company that provided luxury Airbnb rentals, a trucking company, and BNK Development. BNK Development renovates residential and commercial properties around the country. Everything about J'Mel embodied prestige. He believed in doing things on a particular level of class. You could always find him dressed to impress, energized, and ready to perform the tasks at hand like a boss. He has had several Indianapolis Star articles for his achievements in art, and the Button Nose Kidz plays. He has been hosted on Fox 59 more than once and interviewed on local radio. J’Mel was preceded in death by his Great grandmother Willie Weems, grandparents: Sarah Beasley, Donald “Duck” Beasley, and niece Aurora Dowdell. Upon his departure, J'Mel left to treasure his memory three children J’Mel Dowdell Jr., Shawn Dowdell and LillyAnna Fields, Frances Davidson (Great-Grandmother), Reba Muhammad (Grandmother), both parents, six siblings: Brothers Thomas Dowdell Jr. (Malika Dowdell), Elijah Sutton, Darius Dowdell, three sisters Tiffany Dowdell, Danielle Dowdell and Genuinely Dowdell, two step siblings Tyler Bibbs and Brenden Bibbs, and a host of family members, loved ones and admirers. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The family wishes to extend our most sincere thanks and heartfelt appreciation for all of your act of kindness, words of comfort and whispered prayers during this time in our lives. We are grateful for every expression of love. “Believe in yourself, be persistent, and follow your dreams.” -J’Mel Dowdell Sr.- Service for Mr. J'Mel Dejuan Dowdell Sr., will be held, 12:00 pm, Friday, April 15,2022, at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, 1003 W. 16th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, with visitation held from 10:00 until time of service at 12:00 pm, all taken place at the Church. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.williamsandbluitt.com for the Dowdell family.