John Holmes Dowdle Sr.

John Holmes Dowdle, Sr., age 89, of Clinton, SC passed away, Saturday, January 13, 2024 at Woodbridge Retirement Center, Clinton.
Mr. Dowdle was born in Sharon, York County, SC and is the son of the late Oliver Smith Dowdle, Sr. and Cancis V. Pruitt. Following the death of his parents, Mr. Dowdle went to live at the Thornwell Home for Children in Clinton as a pre-teen.
He served in the United States Army from 1954-1956 with the 10th Infantry Division in Germany. After completing his military service, Mr. Dowdle returned to Clinton where he rendered forty-four years of service as a vital member of Thornwell’s professional staff. For several years during this time, Mr. Dowdle was also an assistant football coach at Thornwell High School. Upon the occasion of his retirement from Thornwell in April of 2000, Thornwell honored him by rededicating the former Thornwell “Mayes Baby Cottage” as the Mayes-Dowdle Alumni Center.
He married Florine Ginn in September of 1957, and they became active members in the Clinton community. The Dowdles were long-standing members of First Presbyterian Church of Clinton where he also served as an elder and sat on various denominational committees. In 1981 he was a delegate to their church General Assembly.
During his career, Mr. Dowdle also served on the Boards of numerous organizations including the South Carolina Home in Montreat, NC, the YMCA and the Clinton-Newberry Natural Gas Authority. Additionally, he served 15 years as a member of the Laurens County Disabilities and Special Needs Board.
In September of 1994 he was elected to the City Council of Clinton, serving for two decades before his retirement from public service in March of 2015.
Mr. Dowdle is survived by his children, Ret. COL John H. Dowdle, Jr. (Cynthia) of Alexandria, VA, Richard Dowdle (Sandy) of Clinton, Karen Vance (Todd) of Cornelius, NC; son in law Charlie Bell and his grandchildren, Taylor Bell (Taylor), Amanda Dowdle, Ashton Bell, Lauren Dowdle, Mallory Vance, Sydney Vance; and his brother Marion “P-nut” Dowdle. He is also survived by nieces and nephews. He is pre-deceased by his brother Robert Dowdle, his wife Florine Ginn Dowdle and daughter Elizabeth “Beth” Bell.
A Memorial service will be held Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 3:00 PM at the First Presbyterian Church of Clinton with Rev. Dr. Duke Dixon and Rev. Chad Reynolds officiating.
The family will greet friends immediately following the service in the church fellowship hall.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Thornwell Home for Children at 302 S. Broad Street, Clinton, SC 29325 or https://thornwell.org/give/

Gray Funeral Home of Clinton is assisting the Dowdle family with services.