Dorothy (Eichelberger) Dowling of Sunnyvale, California, passed away quietly on Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021.
She was 94 years old.
Born in San Jose and raised in Santa Barbara, California, Dorothy was the youngest child of Lela (Rubeck) Eichelberger and Roy Eichelberger. Her siblings were brother Robert Eichelberger, and sisters Helen (Eichelberger) Barry and Alta Ruth (Eichelberger) Wallin Huntley.
Dorothy was the daughter of the founding principal of Santa Barbara Junior High School. She earned a degree in Elementary Education because, as her father told his daughters, “You can always find work as a teacher.” She graduated from UCSB in 1948, was a member of Chi Alpha Delta, Kappa Delta Pi and Crown & Scepter. She went on to teach at Ingelwood and Santa Barbara elementary schools.
At age 15, Dorothy met her future husband, Lescher Dowling, at a school dance. He was immediately smitten and did his best to win her affection, but it wasn’t until Lescher was drafted into the army during WW2 to serve overseas in the CBI that Dorothy decided it was her patriotic duty to write to him regularly. It was during their wartime correspondence that their relationship really blossomed. They were married in Montecito on July 16th, 1950.
Dorothy is survived by her beloved husband of 71 years, Lescher Dowling, her children; Richard Dowling and Lela (Dowling) Cirocco, and grandchildren; Sara and Skye, and great-grandchildren; Katheryne, Kimberly, Brielli, and Gianna as well as many nephews and nieces.
