Donald Downey

Donald G. Downey, 78, Home (formerly Plumville), died Wednesday, November 11, 2020 while at the Indiana Regional Medical Center.

The son of Carl and Mae (Keeler) Downey, he was born April 16, 1942 in Kittanning, PA.

Don was a graduate of Marion Center High School following high school he attended Thiel College for two years and was Nicet certified in engineering.  He was employed numerous years as a supervisor for Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as well as Citizen’s Ambulance Service as a manager for Station 30, Plumville.  After his retirement from PennDot, he kept busy by working for Walsh Equipment Company in Butler, Shireman’s Florist, and the John A. Lefdahl Funeral Home. 

Don was a member of the first graduating paramedics class in Indiana County and was instrumental in establishing the ambulance station.  He was also a member of the Harmony Grove Lutheran Church and the Plumville Fire Department.  He served as auxiliary police with his best friend, Ron McLean where they fought crime in Plumville so the residents could sleep soundly at night. 

Don was an avid Trump supporter receiving daily mail from “The Donald” himself. 

He enjoyed dancing with his wife, Paulette and taking trips to Hershey Park with his grandchildren even when they were mouthy, overflowed the hotel bathtubs, and pooped on the hotel floor.  He was elated to watch his family grow and was blessed with two great-granddaughters, liking anything Cecilia baked for him.

Don also enjoyed yardwork, gardening, clean vehicles, fixing things around the house including windows broken by balls and BBs, hunting, going to his camp in Potter County even the time his grandson put a picture of his bare butt on his grandpa’s phone as his wallpaper.  He liked traveling 80 miles per hour in the hammer lane going to Florida and taking three days to get there, taking bus trips to casinos with Paulette, Punch, and Judie were among his favorite things.  He also liked Nascar and camping at Watkins Glen for race weekends.

In his heyday, Don could be the life of the party on Saturday night then give an impromptu service Sunday morning.  One service to be remembered was delivered while giving the hairy eyeball to his boys after they passed gas on the wooden church pews for the entire congregation to hear. 

Don didn’t like to brag about his photography skills, but he always managed to cut off someone’s head in the photos.  He liked chocolate cake with homemade brown sugar icing.  He loved rare roast beef on Christmas Eve except for the year Mark was in charge of getting it out of the oven but instead got drunk, passed out, and burned the roast while the rest of the family was at church. 

Surviving is his wife of 59 years, Paulette (Ratner) Downey whom he wed on October 14, 1961, Home; son, Jeff (Tammie) Downey, Plumville; grandchildren, Carissa (Bradley) Burns, Indiana, Chase Downey, Puyallup, WA, and Carson (Kelli) Downey, Vine Grove, KY; great-granddaughters, Cecilia Burns and Maddie Downey; and sisters, Ruth McCullough and Rita Bricillo.

Preceded Don in death were his parents; his son, Mark; his brother, Ron who at one time dared Don to stick his lollipop in his dad’s ear while he was driving and earned both of them a flogging; and his mother-in-law Ida Jeanne Burkhardt.

Funeral services and interment will be private by request of the family. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Harmony Grove Lutheran Church. 

Don will be greatly missed by his wife, family, and friends. They will miss creating memories to laugh about “with him” and hearing him reminisce of days that he raised hell, cleaned up the streets, and learned life lessons. They would like to give special thanks to Crystal Waters Personal Care Home and the Indiana Dialysis Unit.

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