Edward Joseph 'Ed' Dowling

Edward 'Ed' Joseph Dowling, 87, of Hamden passed away peacefully with family by his side on March 21, 2014. He was born on September 18, 1926 in New Haven to the late Lawrence 'Ray' and Florence Corden Dowling. Ed will be remembered by his adoring wife of 58 years, Patricia Kavanaugh Dowling; his sons and daughters-in-law, Edward Dowling of San Francisco, CA, Michael & Lauretta Dowling of Hamden, Paul & Debra Dowling of Brentwood, CA, and David & Natasha Dowling of Malibu, CA; grandchildren, Michael W. Dowling & his wife Sara of Hamden, Steven E. Dowling of Manhattan, NY, and Daniel P. Dowling of Charlotte, NC; and great-granddaughter, Sofia Dowling. He was predeceased by his siblings, Veronica Lampson and Raymond T. Dowling. Ed grew up in New Haven, having graduated from Hill House High School. At the age of 16, he started working in his family's flower shop, Dowling Flowers, which had been established by his mother in 1927. He happily worked almost every day for over 60 years until he was in a tragic car accident caused by an underage drunk driver. That day in 2004 drastically changed not just Ed's life, but his family's. Ed held various board positions over the course of 50 years for FTD and CT State Florist Association. He was a long time parishioner of St. Rita's Church, was a member of Knights of Columbus- Council #1 San Salvador, and a member of Knights of St. Patrick. Ed's family would like to thank the Angels of Whitney Manor and Dr. Joseph Balsamo for their wonderful care over many years. Funeral from BEECHER & BENNETT, 2300 Whitney Ave, Hamden on Thursday, March 27th at 9:30 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Rita's Church at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be in St. Lawrence Cemetery, West Haven. Friends are invited to visit with his family on Wednesday evening from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Contributions in Ed's memory may be sent to MADD at www.madd.org, or the YNH Masotta Family Fund, c/o Lucy Sirico, PO Box 1849 New Haven, CT 06508-8338.