Peter Dowbor
Peter Dowbor was born on February 18, 1933, in Warsaw, Poland, the son of Ladislau Dowbor, engineer, and Sophia Lenartowicz, a doctor. He died in Darien, Illinois, at 91 years of age on February 26, 2024. He is survived by his sister Malina, who lives in Poland, and his brother Ladislau, who lives in Brazil.
With the German invasion of Poland, Peter’s family moved to France in 1939. Besides suffering from the bombings of World War II, he also attended grammar and high school in France and became fluent in French. In 1952, he moved to Brazil and in 1953 he moved to the United States, where he obtained a BS degree from Illinois Institute of Technology and a MS degree from the University of Wisconsin, in metallurgical engineering.
Over the course of his professional career, he worked as an engineer for Allis Chalmers in Milwaukee, Zenith Radio in Chicago, General Motors Electromotive in Countryside, Illinois, and Eaton Corporation in Carol Stream, Illinois. When the Archdiocese of Chicago asked Opus Dei to staff St. Mary of the Angels parish in 1990, he became the parish manager for several years. During that time, he oversaw the massive restoration of the church’s structure and decoration that enabled it to re-open.
As a college student, Peter joined Opus Dei, and he was one of the very first members in the United States. Throughout his career, alongside his professional work, and then in his years of retirement, he helped innumerable persons to grow in their Catholic faith.
As one of his many friends wrote, upon hearing of his death, “Peter Dowbor was—IS—a great man in the truest sense of the word and in every sense—a great heart. The amount of good he did for so many people in the deepest cores of their hearts is overwhelming! We will only see his full impact on the Last Day. He changed lives for the better. He was God’s ‘nuclear pile.’ He generated chain reactions that in their many turns energized and enlightened battalions of others at many removes. He NEVER gave up!”
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 pm on Friday March 1st at Darien Study Center, 7800 Cass Ave, Darien, IL. The funeral Mass will be at 11 am on Saturday March 2nd at St. Mary of the Angels Church, 1850 N Hermitage Ave, Chicago. There will be an additional visitation immediately before the funeral Mass from 10 to 11 am at St. Mary of the Angels Church.
Interment will follow the funeral Mass at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside. After the interment, an informal reception with refreshments will be provided at Darien Study Center, 7800 Cass Ave, Darien, IL.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Darien Study Center, where Peter lived and worked during the last 9 years of his life.
Bye for now Peter. See you soon!
My condolences to his sister and niece in who my husband and I visited in Poland many years ago and to his brother in Brazil. My sympathy also goes out to those he lived with at the Darien Center and to all who feel his loss. He touched our lives, particularly my husband’s, and for this I am truly grateful.