James Roswell Dowling of Poulsbo died Sept. 14, at Martha and Mary Health Care Services in Poulsbo. He was 78.

He was born on Oct. 31, 1930, in Madison, Wisc.

Dowling was raised in the South Shore area of Chicago. He attended Bryn Mawr Grammar School, South Shore High School and took a two-year course at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.

He married Mary Joan (Mary Jo) Gerding in Chicago in 1953. They moved to Milwaukee in 1954. Their two sons Scott and Richard were born there.

They moved to Waukesha, Wisc., in 1959, and their daughter Sheila was born. The family moved to Monterey Park, Calif., where he pursued a career in the aerospace industry at TRW Systems. While with TRW Dowling was awarded a U.S. patent for a High Intensity Shock Machine. He took early retirement from TRW in 1987 and continued his career with Kimball Industries where he worked for five years. Dowling always said his 20 years at TRW were the happiest and most rewarding of his professional life. In 1993 he and Mary Jo moved to Prescott, Ariz. In 2003 they moved to Poulsbo to be near their daughter and her family.

Dowling was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. He enjoyed volunteering to feed the poor at Union Station in Pasadena, Calif., and St. Vincent de Paul Society in Prescott, Ariz.

He was preceded in death by his parents Claire and Frances (Hipple) Dowling and son Robert Scott Dowling.

Dowling is survived by his loving and devoted wife Mary Jo; his daughter Sheila Ottersen (Tim); and son Richard Dowling (Laurell). He also leaves behind his grandchildren: Jonathan Lann, Sarah Ottersen, Christopher Ottersen, Eric Dowling and Kathleen Dowling.

A memorial mass will be noon on Oct. 17, at St. Olaf Catholic Church, 18943 Caldart Avenue NE in Poulsbo. A reception will follow in the church hall. Memorial contributions can be made to a charity of choice.

An online guest book is available at www.cookfamilyfuneralhome.com.