Raymond L. Dowling, who founded Universal Plastic Mold (UPM) in 1962 has passed away at the age of 80 due to complications from a heart attack. UPM grew from three machines and a few employees to 37 injection molding machines and 300 employees at its 127,000-sq-ft facility in Baldwin Park, CA.

Born on January 9, 1933, in Victoria, BC, Dowling left home at 16, working his way to Toronto, where, according to his family, he found his two loves, "his wife Joan and plastic injection molding." He married Joan Perreira in 1955 and moved to Los Angeles in 1957. Dowling was a longtime resident of San Dimas, CA, where he passed. He had overcome several illnesses, including a stroke in 1982, a kidney transplant in 1990, and cancer in 2003.

Ray's son Jason Dowling, is the president of UPM, taking the reins in 2007, after approximately 15 years with the company. Jason's brother Steve, who has worked at the family business for 30 years, is the VP of operations at UPM. Dowling is survived by four children, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.