Ruth Downey

Ruth G. Downey, age 94, passed away on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at Eagle Point Nursing Home in Clinton, Iowa. Visitation will be at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Preston, Iowa from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Monday, December 1, 2014 with services immediately following. Burial will take place in Preston Cemetery, Preston. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. John’s Lutheran Church, Preston, Iowa.Ruth was born on May 16, 1920, the eldest daughter of James and Alma (Miller) Sullivan in the family farm home near Green Island, Iowa. She went to rural elementary schools and graduated from Preston High School in 1937. Ruth then attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, receiving her teaching certification and taught several years at various rural Jackson County schools including, Glen School in Iowa Township, and Wyckoff School in Van Buren Township. On September 30, 1939, she married Ronald B. Downey in Elkader, Iowa. They celebrated 73 years together before his passing in 2013.
Ruth and Ronald farmed for three years near Lost Nation before coming back to Preston in 1950, and farming there for 50 years. She was very active in the farming operation, from milking cows morning and evening, to tending a huge garden, and always having a big dinner ready for the many who shared meals in the Downey home.
Ruth also gave her time to numerous organizations through the years. She was a member of the VFW Post #3633 Auxiliary in Maquoketa and the Preston Women’s Club, and assumed leadership roles in both organizations, at the local as well as county levels. She was also a member of the Preston Legion Auxiliary. Ruth served several terms on the Preston Library Board and participated with the American Red Cross both as a blood donor, and a caller to organize the blood draws. For several years, she was the local Preston correspondent for the Clinton Herald.
Upon their return to Preston in 1950, Ruth and Ronald became active members at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church. Ruth particularly enjoyed her long membership in Ruth Circle, and the special friends she made there. After moving to Preston in 2000, she looked forward to the Saturday morning neighborhood coffee get-togethers. She moved to Sarah Harding Home, Clinton, in December of 2013, and again made new friends and participated in the activities there.
Over the years, Ruth has given family and friends numerous ceramic creations as well as beautiful handmade afghans. She enjoyed spending many winters with Ronald in Las Vegas, playing cards, reading and traveling.
Ruth is survived by a daughter, Myrna (Carl) Neumann of Clinton; a son, Robert (Denise) Downey of Marshalltown; four grandchildren, Brenda (Carl) Dissette of New Buffalo, Michigan, Matt (Sarah) Downey of Marshalltown, Megan (Kevin) Nagel of Grinnell and Mitchell (fiancé Jillian Lyon) Downey of Ames; ten great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; a sister, Madeline Behrens of Clinton; a sister-in-law, Lois Sullivan of Green Island, Iowa; a sister-in-law, Marian Wacha of Toledo, Iowa, and a brother-in-law, Loyd (Barbara) Downey of Preston.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband; parents; two brothers, Raymond and Harold, and one granddaughter, Laura Neumann Lantero.