Obituary

ichael James Dowling passed away peacefully surrounded by family on February 17, 2022, at the age of 51. He was born on July 10, 1970, in New Orleans, LA, and is the son of Mrs. James Burke (Ann) Dowling and the late Dr. James Burke Dowling. Michael graduated from Jesuit High School in 1988, post graduate year at Kents Hill School, and went on to graduate from Ithaca College in 1993.After graduation, Michael worked his way up at Wembley Tie Company and then transitioned to Superior Energy where he was the Director of Real Estate before leaving when they moved out of his beloved New Orleans. Michael would later fill his dream of being his own boss by becoming a small business owner. He loved his family. He waited close to his entire life before finding a woman who exceeded his standards in the love of his life, Lee Blanton Dowling. He was very proud to gain two sons in Jack and Henry West. He had a very close relationships with all three of his siblings, Carrie Dowling Brody (David), Elizabeth Dowling Hunter (Joseph), and Mark Dowling, who all adored him. He was the uncle of three nephews, Sam and Owen Brody and Michael Hunter, and one niece, Celia Hunter. Michael was a dedicated friend with many of those friendships spanning decades. This was made even more obvious by the flood of people who reached out or visited him over the last several months. He had a deep and unwavering love of football. While at Ithaca, he starred as a guard on the Bomber football team and was proud to be a member of the 1991 National Championship team. Weekends in the fall were for juggling football games on multiple screens - except for when the Saints were playing. He loved food and would often put together meals with friends and family at area restaurants (especially Clancy's). He was a renowned cook at home and truly believed food brought friends together. He loved music and often told stories about all the amazing concerts he attended including many years of JazzFest and countless Springsteen shows. He was also a performer in his own right often holding court and regaling those around him with one of his great stories. He constantly made everyone around him laugh and was famous for his one-liners. Services will be held on March 7, 2022 at the Immaculate Conception at 130 Baronne St., New Orleans, LA at 3PM with visitation at 2PM. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to St. William the Abbot Catholic Church, 2000 Jackson Avenue, Seaford, NY 11783 or at stwilliam.org.