Darrell Jay Downing, 81, of Janesville passed away Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019, at Agrace Hospice in Janesville.
He was born in Hillsboro on March 18, 1938, the son of Jay and Ella (Ferris) Downing. He grew up on the family farm in Ontario and moved to Janesville in 1958 to start his 45-year career with General Motors, retiring in 2003. He married the love of his life, Judith (LaFlash) Downing, on Dec. 19, 1960. Darrell was known for his sense of humor and work ethic, lovingly referred to as the “motivator” by family and friends. He took pride in doing well whatever task needed to be done.
He loved fishing and spent many hours on the banks of the Sugar River. He enjoyed taking short trips to the country in his leisure van with his wife, many times bringing home rocks they collected for their yard. He took great pride in maintaining a well-manicured lawn that was accented by their beautiful flowers. He cherished and babied his 1996 Chevy Blazer “Lil Blue.” Darrell was a Packers and Bucks fan and loved watching the Packer game with his son, Dirk. He enjoyed the outdoors and was able to mimic many wildlife calls to the delight of his kids and grandkids. Darrell could often be found sitting in his garage, listening at a high volume to FM stations and the country music he loved so well.
Darrell is survived by his wife, Judi; three children: Dawn Downing, Darla (Charlie) Flood, and Dirk (Julie) Downing; and his adopted from the heart “#2” son, Pete Wegler; nine grandchildren, James Truesdill, Trent Truesdill, Tynan Truesdill, Andrew (Rachel Church) Siefert, Danielle Flood, Lauren Flood, Josh (Amanda) Nadler, Jacob Nadler, Audrey Downing; seven great-grandchildren; a sister, Tilli (Tom) Walkowiak; a sister-in-law, Evelyn (Don) Kortbein; a brother-in-law, Lynn (Yvonne) LaFlash; and many nieces and nephews and other extended family members and friends.
He is predeceased by his parents; his siblings, Ellsworth (Delia) Downing, Duane (Shirley) Downing, Iola (Len) Johnson, and a baby brother in infancy; his mother- and father in-law, Betty and Julius LaFlash; and his in-laws, Rita (Mike) Gipp and Lorita (Bob) Cantrell.
A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, with visitation from 10 a.m. until time of service. A private family committal service will be at Oak Hill Cemetery on a later date. For online condolences, go to www.schneiderfuneraldirectors.com.
No one will ever take our memories of you. We love you and will miss you every day.
“Keep in touch, Pops …”
