James Joseph McDowell

James Joseph (Joe) McDowell, 34, passed away on the 19th of September, 2016. He was born May 7th, 1982 to Kathleen Lauchnor McDowell and James Murray McDowell (deceased). Joe is survived by his mother, Kathy McDowell, his sister, Courtney McDowell Dorr and her family, Jim Dorr, Ethan and Jaxson, his Aunt and Uncle, Emily and David Lauchnor, cousins; Davy and Ellen Lauchnor, Libba and Andy Chilcote and their children, Preston and Skyla, of Montana. His Great Aunt, Frances Hardwick, his cousins Jim and Ken Hardwick and families of SLC Utah, and Hilary Hardwick of Anchorage, AK, Adrienne & Shane David, and Carey Price of Colorado. Joe was preceded in death by his father Jim McDowell and grandparents, Anona McDowell and Elizabeth and Glen White. Joe was born to the delight of his mother and father, to have a son - a red haired, blue eyed boy, who would have been happy to stay inside his mother for another month! From the beginning Joe was enamored by his older sister, even liked to play with her girl toys, especially the play kitchen, banging the pans around while wearing his diaper. Maybe that's where his love of cooking began. He was an inquisitive and mischievous child. He designed and built some awesome forts, wore his blankie around his arm at night and dressed his dog Bally as a mighty Indian Chief. His laugh was contagious to his family even if the subject wasn't funny. Christmas mornings Joe always ran downstairs ïéérst and then ran back up to tell his sister what Santa had brought her, which always made her mad. He was always determined and strong willed. When he decided to walk across the board to his Uncle David and Aunt Emmy's cabin in Montana, it didn't matter how many times he fell off into the wild roses, he just had to do it again! He rode horses and camped in Montana, found some magic stones in the creek that he swore would make warts disappear (and they did!). He played pirates with his cousins, Libba and Davy, and was always picked out of a crowd on vacation to participate with the monkeys or dolphins or whatever, because of his beautiful red hair. The bad news was, he was also easy to spot going for that second cookie by the PTA ladies! ;) As an adult, Joe graduated from Metropolitan State University with BA degree in Art History and Photography. He was a talented artist in all areas. He loved working in restaurants, whether waiting tables or managing, he was good with people. Cooking was another artistic endeavor for him. (Although some of us would say his spaghetti was way too spicy! ;)) He never used a recipe, he just made it up as he went along, which is how he lived in all aspects of his life. His adventure for life took him many places around the country. Towards the end of his adventures, he lived in Brooklyn, NY where he met new people and expanded his love for culture. He would have made a great tour guide as his love for everything around him came out on the many visits from his Mother, family and friends. He especially loved the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He knew all the history of all the artists and paintings. Music was another passion for Joe. He worked as a DJ and called himself ""Reverse Joe"" in many Denver clubs and New York clubs. In addition to his own collection, he had a wide collection of records from his Dad and others that he loved listening to every night. Joe might best be remembered for his love of family. He adored his mother and his sister. He loved his Papa and Grandma with all his heart and loved going for walks along the ditch trail by their Applewood home. He gave his sister away at her wedding, which his sister will hold close to her heart forever. He was also an amazing uncle to his two nephews, and proud of his sister for bringing them into his life. He adored those boys more than words can say, and now will be able to see and watch over them every day of their lives. The unexpected death of his Dad broke his heart and left a hole in the family that he never recovered from. Now peace has come over him, and he will ïéénally get to reïééll that hole in his heart by spending eternity with his Dad. We will miss him dearly, but will see him again one day. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, October 1st, 2016 at two o'clock in the afternoon at Arvada United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made in Joe's name to: Primary Purpose Family Recovery Center 8250 West 80th Avenue Unit 12, Arvada, CO 80005, which facilitates 12 Step Meetings and provides access to information and Education for all. Please share your memories of Joe and condolences with his family by signing the guestbook below.