GARDNER, Mass. – Roy W. Dower, 85, of Westminster, Mass., died April 17, at the Leo P. LaChance Center in Gardner, Mass., after a period of failing health.

He was born in Mexico, on Aug. 11, 1921, a son of the late James and Violet (Bradley) Dower.

He attended local schools.

After graduating from high school, he served in the Pacific Theater with the U.S. Navy and witnessed the atomic bomb testing in Bikini Atoll.

He worked in various capacities in paper manufacturing mills throughout his career and retired from the James River Paper Company in 1983.

He was a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans, Chapter No. 30 in Fitchburg, Mass., and a member of the Douglas E. Hicks Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 7389 in Westminster, Mass.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Florence (Billon) Dower, on Sept. 26, 2005. He was also preceded in death by his sisters, Adelaide Mock and Alice Beauchesne.

He is survived by his sons, Arthur Dower and Walter Dower, both of Jaffrey; his sister, Bernice Drapeau of Mexico; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends.