Jerry Dowdy's Obituary
Jerry Dowdy, age 72, went home to be with Jesus on December 23, 2017. He was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, and later moved to Memphis where he graduated from Oakhaven High School. He attended Memphis State University, and worked for Eastern Airlines where he met an airline stewardess, his only true love and wife of 43 years, Lana Hall Dowdy. Jerry devoted his entire life to caring for his family. It was the care of his own mother and mother-in-law in their last years that best distinguished Jerry’s life as a person of loyalty and steadfastness. Throughout his life, he took seriously his Lord’s commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” and was a friend to many, always willing to go the extra mile to help someone. He is preceded in death by his parents Waymond and Kathleen Dowdy. He is survived by his wife, Lana Hall Dowdy, his two sons Jason Quentin Quay Dowdy (Whitney) and Jeremy Michael Mills Dowdy (Ashley), and one brother Johnnie Michael Dowdy (Rachel). Prior to beginning his career Jerry served his country in the Naval Reserves. He worked at Smith Nephew for 30 years, serving as President of the ENT division and later as President and CEO of Gyrus ENT. When retirement did not suit him, Jerry joined Grace Medical/EagleVision as COO until he became ill. He served countless people with kindness, humor, and selfless generosity. His loyal character, love for others, and unsurpassed work ethic continued throughout his life. He proudly served his Lord as a member of Germantown Baptist Church. Jerry also coached baseball and basketball for his church, GYAA, and Second Presbyterian for many years. He was especially proud of his competitive basketball team, the “Blackhawks,” for winning a national championship. Nothing brought him more joy than seeing his athletes grow up into fine, outstanding, young men in the community. Jerry was named as one of Germantown’s Hometown Heroes and was awarded a presidential citation from President George Bush Sr. for the “Thousand Points of Light” for his years of volunteering and dedicated service. As he fought this serious illness during his last month, he was an inspiration to all he knew. He embodied faithfulness to God, devotion to his family, love for all, perseverance and optimism with an unfailing positive attitude and gratitude for the gift of life. He maintained his sense of humor throughout his brave fight. Our family would like to thank the doctors and nurses who walked so closely with us during his stay in the ICU. We would especially like to thank two special nurses, Joan Hanks and Jenn Burge. To say our Jerry will be missed is completely inadequate. We place our faith in the certainty that we will see him in glory and praise Jesus for the blessing of his earthly life. The celebration of his life will be held at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Saturday, December 30, 2017. Visitation will be held at 12pm with a service immediately following at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in memory of Jerry Dowdy to Germantown Baptist Church, 9450 Poplar Ave. Germantown, TN 38139 or to Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center, 848 Adams Ave. Memphis, TN 38013. All services will be held at Memorial Park.
What’s your fondest memory of Jerry?
What’s a lesson you learned from Jerry?
Share a story where Jerry's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Jerry you’ll never forget.
How did Jerry make you smile?