Leslie Dowling
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92, of Clearwater, passed away at home surrounded by family on April 13, 2021. Born in Brooklyn, NY, his parents were from Saba, Dutch West Indies. Descended from a long line of sea captains, he grew up in Barbados where he learned to sail in his family's schooners. He moved back to NY with his family at age 14 and later served in the US Army, deploying to Japan during the US occupation. On Long Island he worked for Republic Aviation and, in 1990, retired from Grumman Aerospace where he was a supervising technical illustrator and worked on the Apollo 11 Lunar Excursion Module and numerous jet fighters including the F-14. He taught for the US Power Squadron and served as Commander of the Captree chapter. Upon moving to Florida, he and his wife became active members of the Clearwater Yacht Club and their RV group, the Land Cruisers. They enjoyed many years of extensive travel, blue water sailing adventures from Maine to Trinidad and transcontinental RV trips, traveling as far as Alaska. In 2003 Leslie sailed transatlantic and, at age 86, was the oldest to ever participate in the Marion to Bermuda Race. A devoted husband, father, grandfather and uncle, he was a kind and loving man who will always be remembered for his many engaging stories, sense of humor, and infectious laugh. He was loved by all who knew him and will be greatly missed. His devoted wife of 67 years, Patricia A. Dowling, predeceased him on September 28, 2017. He is survived by his daughter, Andrea (husband, Ron) of Coral Springs, FL; son, Jeffrey (wife, Melanie); and grandsons, Kristofer, Spencer, and Tristan of Duxbury, MA. Visitation at Hubbell Funeral Home, April 30, 4-7 pm, with Mass at St. Brendan Catholic Church, May 1, 11 am.