Brenda Pearson Dowling

Brenda Pearson Dowling of Perrysburg, Ohio, passed away August 26, 2021, at the age of 74. She was born to Claude Franklin Pearson and Novella Gregg Pearson on December 15, 1946, in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Her family moved to Toledo in the 1950s. As a child within walking distance of the Toledo Main Library, she formed a lifelong love of reading and writing. She followed this passion at University of Toledo, where she earned a degree in English Education and proceeded to teach for several years. Brenda married Timothy Michael Dowling of Perrysburg in 1970 and over the course of their fifty-year marriage, they raised three sons and lived in multiple parts of the country. Brenda loved being a mother and instilled in her children a sense of creativity, curiosity, and a desire to learn. After they were in school, she pursued lengthy careers in retail fashion and interior decorating. Brenda was an untiring, skilled, and extremely creative entertainer and hosted family gatherings and memorable dinner parties among friends. Her carrot cake and cream cheese frosting were legendary. Brenda loved laughing with family and friends and her laughter was contagious to all who were around. Brenda was preceded in death by her parents; nephew Jeremiah Pearson and his mother Cynthia Pearson; and her husband Timothy. She is survived by her brother Marvin (Vicki) Pearson, brothers-in-law Patrick (Anne Marie) Dowling and Matthew (Carla) Dowling, sisters-in-law Joan Dowling Lewis (Rik) and Sue Dowling Beasecker (Jeff). She is also survived by her three sons Ashley Patrick Gregg Dowling, Bennett O’Connor Dowling, and Colin Patrick Dowling; daughter-in-law Annie Marshak Dowling and grandchildren Pearson, Calder, and Drayton Dowling. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews and their children, all of whom had just recently spent time with her in July for her husband’s memorial service. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Donations may be made to Toledo Lucas County Public Library at 325 Michigan Street, Toledo, OH, so that other children may discover their paths through learning and the powerful escape of a good book. Online condolences may be shared at walkerfuneralhomes.com