Danny Albert McDowell Obituary
It is with great sadness that the children of Danny Albert McDowell announce his passing on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at the age of 80.
Danny will be lovingly remembered by his surviving children, Timothy McDowell, Sandra Glass and Danielle (Aaron Stout) McDowell; grandchildren, Marcus (Brynn) McDowell, Matthew (Jessica) McDowell, Damian (Sandra) Glass and Crystal Glass; great-grandchildren, Caitlin, Kaelynn, Ethan, Dean, Mason, Reagan, Alex, Jasmyn, Camdan, and Renlee. A beloved sister-in-law, Barbara Maxine Cole also survives.
Danny was pre-deceased by his cherished wife of 56 years, Margaret Ann Farmer McDowell; his birth mother, Katherine Moore, and his loving adoptive parents, John and Beauton McDowell. Also, his brother John D. McDowell.
Danny was born on July 13, 1944. He lived with his biological mother Katherine Moore for the first year of his life and then he was placed in an adoption orphanage to give him a better chance at life. He was adopted by his adoring parents, John and Beauton McDowell. He was raised in Oakland, Tennessee and spent most of his very enjoyable childhood there. Danny was also very close to his many aunts and uncles. He briefly moved to Northwest Indiana during his late teenage years and went to Emerson High School in Gary, Indiana. Danny returned to Tennessee and joined the US Army and was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Margaret. Dan was married on June 15th, 1964, to Margaret Ann Farmer until her passing on January 21st, 2021. Together they created a genuinely happy life and had three children, Timothy James, Sandra Kay and Danielle Renee.
As for education and work, he graduated from Indiana University with his bachelor's degree in sociology. His minor was in philosophy. He worked at US Steel Gary for 36 years before happily retiring in 1998. He truly enjoyed every minute of retirement.
Danny was an accomplished and very well-known caver to the spelunking community. He was absolutely passionate about traveling and going on trips and writing trip reports, many of which were published. He loved nature, hiking, the Great Outdoors, plants and flowers, and beautiful natural scenery all over America. He loved trap and skeet shooting, he also collected coins and stamps and was an avid reader of all kinds of books. He never missed watching NFL football games when the Bears were playing. He really loved good food and desserts and cherished our frequent family get-togethers. He very much enjoyed talking and visiting with family and friends and he had the most awesome stories! Danny was the best kind of father; fun, kind, wise and inspiring. Additionally, Danny loved spending time with his beloved cat, Ollie.
Because of his having so many varied interests and hobbies, he was a member and affiliated with many organizations. He was a Fellow of the National Speleological Society (NSS), the Northern Indiana Grotto (NIG), the Saint Joseph Valley Grotto (SJVG), Windy City Grotto (WCG), Treasurer of the Goodfellow Coin Club, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Friends of Robinson Lake, Orchid Hunters, Rare Flowers And Not So Rare Flower Finders, Occasional Bird Chasers Club, Nature Conservancy, Save The Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana DNR Division Of Nature Preserve, and Lake County Parks. He volunteered at all the local prairies in Northern Indiana. He also volunteered for the NWI crisis intervention organization " The Hammond Hotline " from the early 80's until it shut down in 1989 and was able to help many people during his time on the hotline.
The family would like to acknowledge some of Danny's very closest friends that he was truly fortunate to have in his life. Jim and Shelly Reyome, you are the friends that became family. Nadia Kemp, you are dad's best friend and sidekick. You two were the dynamic duo. Joe Ontiveros, dad always looked forward to your monthly luncheon and visits. Tom Gruber, Tom DeCamp, Tony and Leslie Cunningham, Mark Deeble and Kristie Collins, these last few years you six made it possible repeatedly for dad to continue with his beloved traveling up until his last day. Literally. Dad was in good hands with you all.
Each of you were incredibly important to dad and he loved you very much.
Dad told us over and over, if he should ever die on one of his famous trips, he would die happy. He also said he hoped it would be in his sleep after a fantastic day of exploring. In the way that sometimes the best and most deserving people are granted their last wishes, our dad got his. He had a hard but very amazing trip out west in Utah and Colorado with some of his closest friends the "Two Toms". On his final day of the trip, he had a fantastic day and completed his bucket list. Then he went to sleep happy.
Tom Gruber and Tom DeCamp, you will never understand the gratitude that our family has for you. Thank you for making dad's last trip possible and his transition exactly the way he wanted. We love you both.
One last thing about our dad Danny. He loved a good obituary.
In lieu of flowers please make charitable contributions to The Nature Conservancy or the Shirley Heinze Land Trust. Funeral arrangements are pending with Rees Funeral Home, Hobart Chapel, 600 West Old Ridge Road, Hobart. Funeral services for Danny will be Monday, October 21, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Michael Lawson officiating. Burial will follow at Calumet Park Cemetery. Visitation will be Sunday, October 20, 2024 from 2:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. with additional visitation on Monday from 10:00-11:00 a.m. all at Rees Funeral Home, Hobart Chapel, 600 West Old Ridge Road, Hobart.
