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REMEMBER the Fallen. . . HONOR those who Serve. . . TEACH our children the value of Freedom.

Welcome to the In Memory of J. James Dowd's Wreaths Across America Page. 

John James "Jim" Dowd died peacefully on April 18 after a short illness. He had attained an age of 95. He is survived by his three children Robert (Maribeth Krupczak) of Albany, Kathleen Freese of Ballston Spa, Michael (Kellie) of Syracuse, his two grandchildren Keegan (Jack) Healy of Merritt Island FL and Katherine Dowd of Syracuse, along with a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, and godchildren.

Jim was born January 24, 1931 in Oneida. He was raised as an only child in Cortland by his parents Louis and Loretta (Riley) Dowd. They summered at Little York Lake. After graduating from Cortland High School in June 1948, Jim attended Cortland State College 1948-1950. He enlisted in the US Air Force in January 1951 during the Korean Conflict, remaining on the home-front assigned to pre-NORAD Air Defense Command stations, and he was honorably discharged as an A1C in October 1954. He then attended Syracuse University, graduating in January 1957 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration.

He and Mary Catherine Farrell were married in Binghamton August 17, 1957 and remained a devoted couple for 54 years until her death in January 2012. The two of them made homes in Westvale and Colonie while Jim worked for the Traveler's Insurance Company in Syracuse and Albany from January 1957 through October 1988. They often summered at Tully Lake. An avid sports fan, Jim could be found at his children's and grandchildren's baseball, softball, track, dance, lacrosse, and volleyball events. He also closely followed Syracuse Chiefs baseball and SU Orange basketball and football.

After retirement in 1988, Jim and Mary settled on Onondaga Hill, where social gatherings around the back-yard swimming pool with their tight-knit group of friends from Westvale were common in the warmer months. They regularly wintered in Orlando, attending MLB Spring Training games. They visited each of the 50 states and DC, as well as Caribbean Islands, Mexico, and Europe.

Jim was a communicant of St. Patrick's Church on Tipperary Hill at 216 North Lowell Avenue in Syracuse where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on May 6. A calling hour will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. at the church. Interment will be in the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

His children would like to thank Jordan Leet in the Onondaga County EISEP office, and Ronique Williams from CareGivers Home Care for their compassionate in-home assistance, and more recently the staff at Iroquois Skilled Nursing Community for their many kindnesses.

Thank you so much for supporting the In Memory of J. James Dowd and Wreaths Across America!

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Click "Sponsor Wreaths" to sponsor a wreath and help us reach our goal of honoring every veteran at the cemetery.

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Volunteer

Click here if you would like to participate in the wreath laying ceremony on Wreaths Day at the cemetery.

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Location Information

NYSFFH - Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery
4069 Howlett Hill Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13208, United States
Click here for the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery Page
Veteran Graves: 6,400
Coverage Goal: 6,400
Wreaths So Far: 855
Ceremony On: December 19, 2026 at 10:00 am (EST)
Ceremony At: 
Wreath Placement: Immediately Following Ceremony
Wreath Clean Up: January 16, 2027 at 09:00 AM (EST), 9:00 a.m.

Location Coordinator: Ellen McCauley

Directions to Cemetery

Navigation systems do an adequate job of finding the cemetery. When you arrive, please follow the direction of the parking attendant.     

Parking Instructions

There is a limited amount of parking at this cemetery, so please plan to carpool if possible. 

Ceremony and Volunteer Information

We are happy that you are willing to help with our Wreath Across America ceremony at Onondaga County Veteran Memorial Cemetery. Please do not forget to register to volunteer! That way you will get all updates about the cemetery itself.

Here are some things to remember about the ceremony:

  • Everyone of all ages and backgrounds is welcome.
  • Please help ensure that all participants get the opportunity to place a wreath.
  • Please follow the location coordinators instructions on where to place wreaths, as well as "how" they should be placed.
  • We especially appreciate volunteers willing to help clean-up. Please check in with the location coordinator if you are interested in helping with the clean-up.

The most important thing to remember is to have a wonderful experience participating in the ceremony and thank you so much for help Wreaths achieve our mission to remember, honor and teach.

Our Locations

NYSFFH - Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery

Welcome to NYSFFH - Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery and thank you deeply for helping us honor our veterans on Wreaths Across America Day, December 19, 2026 (Wreath Placement Immediately Following Ceremony) at the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery located at 4069 Howlett Hill Road, Syracuse, NY 13215.


PLEASE sponsor a wreath in a Group such as https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/185751/Overview and we will receive $5.00 towards another wreath from the National Wreaths Across America Organization.

Once you sponsor a wreath you can also sign up to Volunteer at the 12/19/2026 10:00 am event and/or the 2026 Wreath Retirement on 01/16/2027 at 9:00 a.m.

THANK YOU!! Call Ellen M. McCauley, coordinator with questions at 315-447-4676 or email elmccauley625@gmail.com.

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