Walter Davis Downs
Walter Davis Downs, 89, died
Sunday (July 9, 2006) at his residence in Newton. He was born June 20, 1917, to
Fred R. and Mary Elizabeth Downs in Hinton, Okla. They preceded him in death.
He married Earline Smith in 1941. In 1991, after 50 years of marriage, they
renewed their wedding vows at St. Luke Presbyterian Church in Newton. She
preceded him in death. Walter was employed at Culver Aircraft in Wichita in the
early 1940s. He later founded Wood Products in Wichita in 1948, which he
operated for 34 years, retiring in 1982. Walter also was one of the founders of
Prestressed Concrete in Newton.
Walter belonged to the pilots
club, Quite Birdman, Wichita Elk's Lodge, Masonic Lodge, Moose Lodge and the
National Lincoln Continental Owners Club. In 1954, he and Earline drove their
1948 Lincoln Continental to the National Rally in Dearborn, Mich. In 1995, they
again drove the same car to the Eastern National Meet in Dearborn, getting a
"thumbs up" from drivers along the way. His license plate read,
"Second Love." Of course, his first love was Earline.
Survivors include: nephews,
Ray and Linda Downs of Enid, Okla., and Jimmy and Camille Smith of Desert Hot
Springs, Calif.; nieces, Loretta Campbell of Tahlequah, Okla., and Beulah and
Bloss Blossom of Portland; and special family friends, Walter, Earline, Ernie
and Floreen Goering of Galva.
He also was preceded in death
by two brothers and three sisters.
Visitation will be from 1 to
9 p.m. Wednesday at Petersen Funeral Home.
Service will be 1 p.m.
Thursday at Petersen Funeral Home with the Rev. Nathan Morgan of First United
Methodist Church officiating.
Graveside service will be 4
p.m. Thursday at Cherokee City Cemetery in Cherokee, Okla.
Memorials have been
established with the donor's choice in care of the funeral home.
