My Mom, Mary Linda Bonjean Dowling passed away yesterday,
June 7, 2022 from Metastatic Lung Cancer. She was 81. She went by
Bonnie for most of her life. It was the name given to her by the nurses in the
hospital when she was born. Bonnie was a force. Strong willed and strongly
opinionated…and fierce in love as well. As a child she overcame numerous
surgeries to correct bad directionals in her stomach. She was a fighter. Her
mother was a great beauty of Ohio and her dad was President of Land of Lincoln
Bank in Springfield, Ill. She grew up playing golf and was told many times over
that she was a natural golfer. She had a
beautiful swing…if you followed her ball, it would sail with an amazing and
powerful trajectory. She made the front page of Maui Times with her hole in one
when she was on vacation there. She was a skier and a snowboarder who loved
Sugarloaf with all her heart. She loved Pinot Grigio & the Red Sox. She was
5 foot 5 inches tall…and only weighed 107lbs, but her presence was inescapable
in any room.
Prideful, confident and fashionable. She met Patrick A.
Dowling in high school in Springfield, Illinois.…and she followed him when he
went off to study at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. She attended Manhattanville College in NYC, but
married Patrick before graduation. They were married at the Hanover Church in
New Hampshire and had four children: three boys, and then a girl. They settled
in Cape Elizabeth, ME where Patrick “Pat” started his medical practice as an orthopedist
in Portland. She was President of the Junior League of Portland, ME, on several
ski committees and went on to be a paralegal for many years. She specialized in
title work and being part of the legal community was a source of pride for her.
As a mother, she had high expectations, held high standards
and would not take “no” or “I don’t want to do it” for answers. She was
fiercely proud of and loved her children (Chris, John (Lara), Tony (Laurilyn), and
Anne (Kenny)…and even more fiercely proud of and deeply loved her grandchildren
(Wyatt, Quinn, Kaitlyn, Tegan, Alexandra, Sophia, Finn and Isabella). She loved her Portuguese Water Dogs (Teddy,
Bella, Pippa & Blarney), who were, as a general rule, fed a gourmet
homecooked meal before anyone else in the house. She loved Buster the Maine
Coon cat who hung out on a pillow in her bay window watching over her in her
last days. She loved her friends…
Springfield childhood friends (Nancy, Mary, Polly, Carol, Penny and Judy), her
sisters-in-law Mary and Martha, her Junior League friends (AL, Dee Dee, Franny
and Martha), Judy Dooley, Janet Brown and Marj Katz who all regularly checked
in on her.
She was an amazing cook and baker who made wonderful meals
for everyone who showed up at her house. The fridge was always full of nourishing
salads for any occasion…like feeding my hungry bridesmaids at 2am. There were
homemade cakes for birthdays…and delicious pies. She would arrive to Freestyle
Skiing events with her four kids and a Coleman cooler overflowing with a bounty
of delights for everyone at the event. Kids, parents, judges all enjoyed and
were fueled for greatness with her cinnamon twists, fried chicken, apricot
bars, molasses cookies, chocolate chip cookies & pasta salads. Her Christmas Cookie assortment was legendary...pfeffernusse,
almond crescents, springerle, needhams, as was her impressive, colorful and
joyful Gingerbread House. Cooking and baking were her way of nourishing her
active kids and welcoming others.
She loved her extended family. When you achieved a success, there
was no greater champion of your efforts than Bonnie/Mom. She is already greatly
missed. Love you, Mom. Rest easy now.
