Downer, John Uria 1873 - 1953

DOWNER, DOLITTLE, FITZGIBBON, JENNINGS, HUMPHRY

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 11/26/2024 at 00:03:25

Clayton County Register, 05 Mar. 1953.

John Uria Downer, only child of Henry A. and Carrie Dolittle Downer, was born Dec. 11, 1873 at the farm home near Lamont, Iowa. He died Saturday, Feb. 28, 1953, at the age of 79 years while enroute to a hospital after suffering a heart attack. Funeral services were held at the Methodist church in Strawberry Point on Tuesday afternoon with burial in the Strawberry Point cemetery.

Except for a short time in his early youth, when he lived with his parents at Sibley and at Strawberry Point, his entire life was spent in the Lamont vicinity. He received his education in Strawberry Point, Sibley and rural schools near his home and was graduated from Strawberry Point high school in 1895. He attended Upper Iowa university and graduated with the class of 1899. He lived with his parents for the next seven years and, in addition to helping his father with the farm work, taught the winter term in the nearby rural schools.

On February 21, 1907, he was united in marriage with Ella Fitzgibbon of Strawberry Point. The couple established their home on the Downer homestead where they lived until 1940, when they moved to another home a short distance away. The couple had two children Harold H., who now resides on the original home farm and a daughter, Carrie M., now Mrs. Water F. Humphry of Omaha, Nebraska. They together with Mrs. Downer and four grandchildren, Jon and Richard Downer and David and James Humphry survive.

Mr. Downer was baptized as a youth in the Baptist church. He was associated with church work throughout his life and at the time of his death was a member of Arlington Methodist church. Since 1943 he had been a director of the American National Bank at Arlington and earlier he had been associated with a Lamont bank. He was secretary of the local rural school for nearly 20 years and later a member of the Lamont Consolidated school board. He served a total of 35 years in township offices, was active in Farm Bureau work, served in soil conservation work, was agent and adjuster for the Fayette County Mutual association, was Sunday school superintendent and served on the draft board during the last war.