Posted by Ellen Fitzgerald on February 1, 2010:

John was my brother-in-law I never thought of him as a brother-in-law but really I thought of him as my brother. He was a very kind, good humored and generous person and I have many fond memories of John. One in particular comes to mind and it makes me smile because it speaks to the person he was. I would come and stay with John and Molly when I had business in New York City. I would stay over at their house on the weekends and then go into the city with John on Monday morning. This was shortly after 9/11 and at that time John had a car and driver and he would drop me where ever I was going on his way to work. John never sat in the back of the car, it made him feel uncomfortable he said "I�m not so important that I have to sit in the back" besides he liked sitting in the front so he and his driver (I can�t remember his name) could listen to the radio and talk about sports. One particular day I had a very important presentation to make and I was sitting in the back of the car talking with John and his driver (they were up front) about my presentation and my nerves. When we pulled up to the hotel my boss and my boss� boss were standing outside the hotel waiting for me, John told me to hold on a minute, he jumped out of the car and made a big deal about opening my door helping me out, getting my luggage and handing me my brief case. John struck a very imposing figure standing there in his uniform with his beret on everyone standing outside the hotel just stopped and watched and he made it look like I was somebody really important and in that moment I felt pretty important and very proud to have a brother like John. That is the type of person John O�Dowd was he made everyone he came in contact with feel important, never thought he was more important than someone else, was kind and always considerate of others. I will miss him dearly.

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