John P. Dowling, 56, passed away December 16 at his home in North Beach. Born in Northampton, MA, the son of the late John P. and Dorothy (Addis) Dowling, he was a long time resident of San Francisco. A 1979 graduate of the University of Massachusetts School of Fine Arts, he was an artist all his life, and enjoyed traveling, most recently to Vietnam, and painting and photographing the world around him. In addition to many close friends in San Francisco and Vietnam, he is survived by his sister Katherine Keefe and her husband Richard of Thompson, CT, sister Elizabeth Dowling of Northampton, MA, nephew James Keefe and his wife Jordan of Franklin, MA, and niece Jennifer Keefe of South Windsor, CT. His ashes will be scattered in the San Francisco Bay he loved so much, and a celebration of his life will be held by family and friends at 4pm Sunday, December 23 at Caffe Trieste on Vallejo Street.
