Bessie Rosie Marie Downing

Bessie Rosie Marie Downing, age 90, of Mt. Carroll, Illinois, passed away Thursday, January 6, 2011 at Mercy Medical Center, Clinton, Iowa. A funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday, January 10, 2011 at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mt. Carroll with Reverend Elizabeth Mascal officiating. Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery, Mt. Carroll. Visitation will be held 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Monday, January 10, 2011 at the Church prior to the service. Memorials may be given in Bessie’s memory for the Mt. Carroll Ambulance Association or the First Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Bessie was born May 24, 1920 in Fairhaven Township, the daughter of Edward and Mary (Knoess) Hartman. She is a graduate of the Hartman Country School, Fairhaven. On April 2, 1940 Bessie married Preston Woodbridge Downing. They farmed many years together near Mt. Carroll.
Bessie was a member of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mt. Carroll. She enjoyed gardening, her cats, collecting Mickey Mouse dolls, and most of all, visiting with friends and neighbors.
Bessie is survived and will be dearly missed by several nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, Preston in 2001; her sister, Crystal Schubert; and her brother, Harvey Hartman.