John "Brad" McDowell, 80, of Mt. Pleasant, died Sunday, December 11, 2016 at New London Specialty Care in New London. A funeral service for Brad McDowell will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, December 16th at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mount Pleasant. Interment will be in the Forest Home Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant, with military honors conducted by the Henry County Honor Guard. Friends may call from 12 Noon to 9:00 PM on Thursday, Dec. 15th at the funeral home. The family will be present to receive friends from 5-7 PM. Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the family. Online condolences may be directed to kimzeyfuneralhome.com. John Bradley "Brad" McDowell was born July 10, 1936 in Mt. Pleasant. He was the son of Emmet Forrest and Mary Ruth (Boyd) McDowell. He attended school in Oakland Mills and Mt. Pleasant. On February 8, 1959 in Troy, Illinois, Brad was united in marriage to Shirley Darlene Vaughn. Mrs. McDowell died March 10, 2009 at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City. Brad entered the United States Navy on November 19, 1954 at Ft. Des Moines, Iowa. He was stationed in the Philippines and honorably discharged on November 6, 1958 in San Francisco, CA. Following his Naval service, Brad returned to Mt. Pleasant where he worked for the former Kennedy Dairy. He did many jobs at the dairy, ranging from being a mechanic to delivering milk. Brad then took a position as a police officer in Iowa Park, Texas. He returned to Iowa and worked in the Maintenance Dept. at the US Borax plant in Burlington for 11 years. Brad then began his own construction business, McDowell Construction. From 1988 until his retirement in 1998, Brad was the Community Service Officer for the Mt. Pleasant Police Dept. Brad enjoyed hunting, most especially for deer and raccoon. His career as a mechanic resulted from interest and hobby of tinkering in his garage. He loved to rebuild motors, and rebuilt many during his life. Brad also did auto body work on the side. Those thankful for sharing in Brad's life include his 4 children: John McDowell and his wife Ingi of Mt. Pleasant, Debra Ross and her husband Richard of Mt. Pleasant, Emmett McDowell and his wife Brenda of Salem and Ruth McDowell of Mt. Pleasant; a brother, Bruce "Dick" McDowell and his wife Ethel of Mt. Pleasant; 3 sisters - Gwen Hawkins and Gretchen Liechty, both of Mt. Pleasant and Linda Smyth and her husband Steve of New London; 12 grandchildren - Derek Wellington, Ryan Wellington, Beth (Corey) Calhoun, Tina McDowell, Justin McDowell, Colton Keck, Michael (Lacie) Porter, Kelly (Dustin) Morin, Brian Vaughn, Cheyenne Ross, James (Deana) and Cynthia Martens; 15 great grandchildren and a special friend whom Brad claimed as a son, Rich Lanphier. His parents, wife, a sister - Shirley Andries and a brother Donald McDowell precede Brad in death

Visitation

DEC 15. 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM (CST)

Kimzey Funeral Home 213 North Main Street Mount Pleasant, IA, 52641

Family Present to Greet Friends

DEC 15. 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (CST)

Kimzey Funeral Home 213 North Main Street Mount Pleasant, IA, 52641

Service

DEC 16. 10:30 AM (CST)

Kimzey Funeral Home 213 North Main Street Mount Pleasant, IA, 52641