John Henry “Hank” Dowd, Sr., 77, of Holton, KS, passed away Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at Midland Hospice House in Topeka, KS with family by his side. He was born May 22, 1948 in Hutchinson, KS, the son of Chauncey Otto, Sr. and Mary Jane (Craig) Dowd.

 John attended Frankfort High School. He worked for many years at Andrews Asphalt as a heavy equipment operator. He was a member of Local 101.

 John married Wilma Marie Chiles on May 31, 1967. She preceded him in death on August 8, 2024, after 57 years of marriage. He was also preceded in death by his parents, Chauncey and Mary Dowd; 5 sisters, Betty Dowd, Josephine Benteman, Shirley Smith, Clara Jeffries and Kathryn Dowd and 2 brothers, George and Chauncey Dowd.

 Survivors include his son, John H. Dowd (Donella) of Topeka, KS; daughter, Marsha R. Dowd of Holton, KS; sister, Sharon Singleton (Butch) of Blue Rapids, KS; 4 grandchildren, Ciera Abdelmalek (Tadros), Breanna Pfannenstiel (Kyle), Emma Patterson (Kyle) and Libbie Lytle and 8 great-grandchildren.

John will lie in state from 9:00 – 5:00 p.m. Saturday, March 7, 2026 at the Mercer Funeral Home in Holton. Family will greet friends from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., Sunday, March 8, 2026 at the funeral home. Graveside Service will be 1:00 p.m. Monday, March 9, 2026 at the Frankfort Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the Midland Care Hospice c/o Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, KS 66436. To leave a special message for the family, please visit www.mercerfuneralhomes.com.