Dean David Dowson, 81, a highly regarded Denver-area automobile dealer for more than 50 years, died at his winter residence near Ocala, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 2. Services were planned for Feb. 21 at First Presbyterian Church, Golden, followed by a celebration of life at Rolling Hills Country Club, Golden.

Dowson was a national Time Quality Dealer award recipient for Colorado in 2001 and was among the first class of inductees into the Colorado Automotive Hall of Fame in 2021.

Born March 2, 1943, in Denver to Harry and Halcyon Dowson, Dean spent four of his teen years at Wentworth Military Academy in Missouri, then attended the University of Denver with hopes of becoming an attorney. His father, however, redirected him to the family business of automobiles.

Harry Dowson and Ralph Schomp were sons-in-law of Roy J. Weaver, and joined Weaver in the 1930s and ‘40s in operation of Oldsmobile dealerships he brought to Denver after opening his first auto store in Pueblo in 1912.

Dean Dowson and his older brother, Stephen, and cousin Lisa Schomp beginning in the 1960s and ‘70s, followed their fathers Harry Dowson and Ralph Schomp and made successful careers of the car business, with Oldsmobile, Honda, Nissan, BMW and other brands.

Dean served on the National Dealer Advisory Board, was president of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, spent many years as a Rotarian, was a member of Round Up Riders of the Rockies and was a volunteer at Copper Mountain Ski Resort.

He is survived by his wife, Tracy, and his son, Roy (Kristen).

I enjoyed a good visit with Dean several months back at a book-signing event by Tim Jackson in south Denver.