Donald Keith DOWDLE
DOWDLE, Donald Keith
1949 – 2023
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Don on Saturday, July 22, 2023, at the age of 74 years. Don passed away peacefully with his wife, Merle and daughter, Roberta by his side after a courageous battle with cancer.
Don loved gardening and took great joy in planting flowers each spring. He spent many hours in his quiet backyard enjoying the sounds of birds chirping and feeding peanuts to his squirrel friends. He had an amazing joyful laugh that will live on in our hearts.
Don retired after 45 years of service with Caterpillar dealers, R. Angus & Finning Canada where he was started as a 23-year-old apprentice and transitioned to a field service technician within 2 years. Don transitioned to a technical communicator role with Finning late in his career where his years of expertise solving complex problems were utilized to the benefit of customers and Finning technicians. He was recognized as a deep expert by Caterpillar and his knowledge was called upon to consult on manufacturing processes at Caterpillar operations in Grenoble, France, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and locations in the USA.
He will be forever loved and remembered by his wife, Merle; children, Roberta (Craig) and Keith (Nancy); and 1 grandchild. Don had 5 children from his first marriage, Kelly, Kevin, Ken, Dean & Donovan who mourn his passing. Also, to grieve his loss are extended family, and many friends.
Don was survived by his mother, Evelyn and predeceased by his father, Thomas, and brother, Fred.
The family extends a heartfelt thank you to the amazing doctors, nurses, and staff at Mel Miller Hospice (Edmonton General Hospital) for the care and compassion extended to Don and our family. We are especially thankful for Dr. Marc Clark for his candor, nurse Lisa for her ability to connect with patients and family and nursing assistant Hanh who always had a bright smile that seemed to lift our spirits.
A private family celebration will take place at a later date.
My condolences to the family. Don was an exceptional mechanic and person. It was our privilege to have worked with him.
Ken Shultis
Finning-Angus Retirees Association.
My sincere condolences to the family, Don was a great work partner and friend we had lots of laughs together over the years and one way or another he always came to solution for some of the weirdest problems that occurred in a ever changing industry. Rest in peace my friend, you will be greatly missed.
My heart felt condolences to Dons family and friends. I was privileged to have known Don and blessed to work with him over many years and our different roles .
We lost a great man and will be missed by all who knew him .
My condolence’s to the family and friends at Dons passing. I worked with Don many years ago but I remember him very well. Rest in peace Don.
My condolences to Dons family and friends, I was lucky enough to apprentice under Don then circle back and work with him again in the Technical Center. I have so many great memories that I will hold close. Rest In Peace my old friend
I was fortunate to spend almost 5 years working with Don. As a Caterpillar employee working with Don was a joy. His ability to work with dealer technicians and Caterpillar to resolve problems was incredible. We had a lot of laughs driving around Alberta & British Columbia working on tractors. – Travis
Don also had 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren from his sons Kelly -2, Kevin- 4 +2 great grandchildren, Ken -2, Dean-1 and Donovan -1.
Don was an amazing person. I worked with him on Cat tractors and will always be grateful for his willingness to share his knowledge and was impressed with his work ethic. Rest in peace.
Condolences to Don’s family. I was a lucky one at Caterpillar that interacted with Don on a normal basis. His knowledge of dozers, sidebooms and the pipeline industry was amazing. Don’s willingness to share his knowledge and life lessons will be missed.
My condolences to the family of Don. We go back to the early 70’s when we were both new to R Angus. We worked together on many occasion and he taught me many things about the Cat equipment we repaired. He was tough, many times working without gloves in frigid temps. Rest in peace. You deserve it.
My sincerest condolences to Merle and all of Don’s family . My heart is broken to see we have lost Don and I am so sorry I lost touch in the last couple of years . He was an amazing person and I was truly blessed to know him as both a co worker and a very cherished friend . His knowledge amazed me and he taught me so much about the product I was working with , but what I truly admired and will miss most is the huge heart Don had . We had many conversations about those squirrels he took such good care of , your cat that he missed more than anything and my little rescue dog Percy . There were many good laughs as well , and I could always count on Don to make any day better with that infectious laugh of his . I truly hope Don knew how much of a difference he made to all of us and I know I speak for many when I say how very much he will be missed and our memories with him will always be treasured . Sending lots of love and hugs as you go through this difficult time . Rest in peace Don.
I wish I would have had an upbringing to have worked under Don as an apprentice or along side him a mechanic but I am forever thankful for his work, advice, and peace of mind he provided to me when he was in the Tech Center. His legacy he leaves behind is amazing for the success to many people which I include myself that I will be forever thankful for. He brought a smile and laugh to many so many people I would be working around who talk about their times with him on/off the job and even better when I would hand the phone over to them to talk to Don. Thank you for being you Don and what you did for all of us on and off the job!
Condolences to Merle and family. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to work with Don over the years.
His knowledge was remarkable and his friendship will be treasured…… Truly a great man.
Condolences to Merle and family. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to work with Don over the years. His knowledge was remarkable and his friendship will be treasured. Truly a great man…..
We are saddened to hear of cousin, Donald Keith’s passing. (we always called him Keith) Our sincere condolences to the entire families. We had many fun times with the Dowdle’s. Our family would love to attend the memorial service when you have it planned in the future if possible. Love from the Flewell Family
Condolences to Don’s family and friends
My deepest condolences to Don’s family. I was blessed with being able to work along side him twice in my career with Finning. The first was when I worked along side Don in the Edmonton shop while he whistled as he worked through his day. He was always willing to lend a hand, provide some wisdom or insight to get you redirected on the proper path, or tell a story that was guaranteed to make you laugh so hard that it brought you to tears. This continued when I went to the field as a resident tech & Don went onto the tech center. I later in life came back to work @ Finning as a TC, where I once again had the honour to learn from him as he provided guidance/influence in helping me develop as a TC. We shared many laughs during our days at the tech center and after he retired sharing stories about our past adventures. Rest in peace my friend.