Title
ROY DOWELL
Creator
Patricia Scherer
Coverage
TOWNSHIP 139N RANGE 96W
Text
ROY DOWELL
Stark County has been the residence of Roy Dowell for all except 10 years of his life. Roy was born in LaCrosse, Wis., 1908, of Norwegian ancestry to Rose Knabe and Edward Dowell. A railroad accident took the life of Edward Dowell, the engineer, in 1911 when Roy was only two and a half years old. Rose and Edward had two other sons, William the eldest, now retired and living in Cape Coral, Fla., and Lester, a mechanic in Billings, Mont. After her husband's death, Rose with her three sons moved to North Dakota to homestead north of New Hradec. There she met and married William Martin, 1913. Two sons were born of their union. They are: Harry, who owns an orchard farm in Springfield, Oreg. And Walter, a mechanic in Missoula, Mont.
After receiving his primary education in rural Stark and Dunn County schools, Roy attended Coyne Electric School, Chicago where he earned his master's degree in electricity, 1928. He returned to North Dakota and later married his childhood sweetheart, Sophia Haag, 1934. Sophia and her twin brother Joseph were born, 1911, to Carl Haag and Barbara Martian of German descent. Carl and Barbara, upon their migration from Odessa, Russia in 1911 settled north of New Hradec in a farming community then known as Snow Country.
March 17, 1935, St. Patrick's Day, Roy and Sophia became parents to a daughter, Patricia. July 15, 1936 their son, William, was born. The family moved to Detroit, Mich. Where Roy was employed at Chrysler Corporation for the next nine years. With the advent of World War II, the Chrysler plant was immediately declared an emergency defense plant and the entire labor force was immobilized and exempt from draft. Roy served as a volunteer air raid warden during the war Another son, James, was born Jan. 22, 1938 in Detroit.
After returning to Dickinson, 1945, Roy was employed at Electric Sales and Service for nearly 10 years. Another daughter, Bonita, was born on St. Patrick's Day, 1947. Roy's mother, Rose, moved in with the family and lived with them until her death, 1954. Her favorite pastimes included hand rug braiding which many Stark Co. residents enjoyed. In the year following his mother's death, Roy opened his own place of business, Queen City Electric. Booming business provided little time for outside activities. Sophia was his bookkeeper until the time of her illness, 1975. She often accompanied Roy on his many business trips in the tri-state area.
Their daughter, Pat, married Eugene Scherer, 1956. They reside in Bismarck and have four children, Rick, Brenda, Kevin and Kelli. Rick, the oldest grandchild of Roy, is following his grandfather's footsteps in the field of electrical engineering. Brenda married Sgt. Robert Sicble of Bismarck, 1976, and he is stationed in Camp Pendleton, Calif. Their only child, Tessa Rae, is the first great-grandchild of Roy and Sophia.
William married Patricia Frenzel, 1960. Bill presently owns and operates Queen City Electric, Dickinson. They reside in Dickinson with their four children, Jodi, Cynthia, Laura and Mark.
James married Marilyn Whiting, 1962, while attending NDSU, Fargo. Jim is presently employed as a design engineer for Doer Electric, Milwaukee, Wis. Their three children are Jackie, Thomas and Anne, all at home.
Bonnie, the youngest child of Roy and Sophia, completed her education at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, as a medical technologist. She has traveled Europe, lived and worked in Hawaii and Alaska, respectively. She is currently a lab supervisor in the Nicollet Clinic, Minneapolis, Minn.
Roy retired in 1975 and with his wife is at home at 828 Park Ave., Dickinson.
By Patricia Scherer
Stark County has been the residence of Roy Dowell for all except 10 years of his life. Roy was born in LaCrosse, Wis., 1908, of Norwegian ancestry to Rose Knabe and Edward Dowell. A railroad accident took the life of Edward Dowell, the engineer, in 1911 when Roy was only two and a half years old. Rose and Edward had two other sons, William the eldest, now retired and living in Cape Coral, Fla., and Lester, a mechanic in Billings, Mont. After her husband's death, Rose with her three sons moved to North Dakota to homestead north of New Hradec. There she met and married William Martin, 1913. Two sons were born of their union. They are: Harry, who owns an orchard farm in Springfield, Oreg. And Walter, a mechanic in Missoula, Mont.
After receiving his primary education in rural Stark and Dunn County schools, Roy attended Coyne Electric School, Chicago where he earned his master's degree in electricity, 1928. He returned to North Dakota and later married his childhood sweetheart, Sophia Haag, 1934. Sophia and her twin brother Joseph were born, 1911, to Carl Haag and Barbara Martian of German descent. Carl and Barbara, upon their migration from Odessa, Russia in 1911 settled north of New Hradec in a farming community then known as Snow Country.
March 17, 1935, St. Patrick's Day, Roy and Sophia became parents to a daughter, Patricia. July 15, 1936 their son, William, was born. The family moved to Detroit, Mich. Where Roy was employed at Chrysler Corporation for the next nine years. With the advent of World War II, the Chrysler plant was immediately declared an emergency defense plant and the entire labor force was immobilized and exempt from draft. Roy served as a volunteer air raid warden during the war Another son, James, was born Jan. 22, 1938 in Detroit.
After returning to Dickinson, 1945, Roy was employed at Electric Sales and Service for nearly 10 years. Another daughter, Bonita, was born on St. Patrick's Day, 1947. Roy's mother, Rose, moved in with the family and lived with them until her death, 1954. Her favorite pastimes included hand rug braiding which many Stark Co. residents enjoyed. In the year following his mother's death, Roy opened his own place of business, Queen City Electric. Booming business provided little time for outside activities. Sophia was his bookkeeper until the time of her illness, 1975. She often accompanied Roy on his many business trips in the tri-state area.
Their daughter, Pat, married Eugene Scherer, 1956. They reside in Bismarck and have four children, Rick, Brenda, Kevin and Kelli. Rick, the oldest grandchild of Roy, is following his grandfather's footsteps in the field of electrical engineering. Brenda married Sgt. Robert Sicble of Bismarck, 1976, and he is stationed in Camp Pendleton, Calif. Their only child, Tessa Rae, is the first great-grandchild of Roy and Sophia.
William married Patricia Frenzel, 1960. Bill presently owns and operates Queen City Electric, Dickinson. They reside in Dickinson with their four children, Jodi, Cynthia, Laura and Mark.
James married Marilyn Whiting, 1962, while attending NDSU, Fargo. Jim is presently employed as a design engineer for Doer Electric, Milwaukee, Wis. Their three children are Jackie, Thomas and Anne, all at home.
Bonnie, the youngest child of Roy and Sophia, completed her education at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, as a medical technologist. She has traveled Europe, lived and worked in Hawaii and Alaska, respectively. She is currently a lab supervisor in the Nicollet Clinic, Minneapolis, Minn.
Roy retired in 1975 and with his wife is at home at 828 Park Ave., Dickinson.
By Patricia Scherer