JOHN J. DOWNEY
Pioneer Settler and Farmer of Custer County Dies Friday
John J. Downey was born March 22, 1855 in Schuykill County, Pennsylvania. He was of Irish decent, his parents coming to America in 1849 and settling in Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of a family of 12 children born to John A. and Ellen Sweeney Downey. He father was a coal miner and John J. began work as a slate picker in the mines. The family lived in Ohio before coming to (Webster County) Iowa. He remained in the mines until 1880 when he moved to Nebraska. He arrived in Custer County in the summer of 1880 and took up his homestead on the old home place in Dale Valley that has been his home ever since. He went through all the struggles and deprivations and hardships that are the lot of the pioneers and lived to the prairie conquered and become the valuable and happy homes of thousands that came after him. His first house was 12X14 foot soddy and was followed by a second one of the same type and in later years a nice modern frame structure.
On June 23, 1879 in (Webster County) Iowa he was married to Mary Ann Jones and to this union were born 12 children. The eldest is Ellen May, now Mr. J.E. Price of St.Louis, Missouri. Three of the oldest sone who saw service in the Would War are John A. and Thomas F. of Anselmo and Hugh Raymond, rural carrier of Merna. Another son, Joseph M. is also at Anselmo. Mary Agnes, the second daughter died in 1920. Bernice E. now Mrs. Wm. Downing, resides in Omaha at present. The two youngest boys, Harold P. and Paul A. farm the home place. Three other children, Johanna, Frances and Lewis Arthur died in childhood. He also has three living sisters, Mrs. Robert D. McCarty of Merna, Mrs. Ellen Carey of Pennsylvania, and Mrs. mary english of Wilmington, Delaware. All of this children except John A. were able to be present at the funeral. He is also survived by the faithful wife who had been with him in all the struggles of the plains.
mr. Downey has been ailing in health for many months. During the early fall he took a trip to the Mayo Bros. Hospital at Rochester, Minnesota, in company with Dr. Downing but did not find relief there. Finally the summons came to him about six o'clock on last Friday (Dec. 3, 1926) evening. Death came early and he passed away sleeping.
He died as he had lived, devoted to his faith. The funeral service were conducted from the Merna Catholic Church at 10 a.m. Monday with Rev. Fr. Keller officiating. In spite of the weather the church was full of his many old neighbors and life long friends. Following the solemn impressive ceremony of the mass and a short sermon to the congregation the remains were returned to Dale Cemetery and interned near the home where he had so long lived. The funeral was directed by Mrs. Sittler. The pallbearers were the five sons present and Wm. Downing, his son-in-law. Besides the active pallbearers, a tribute to the pioneers was paid when the following of the old neighbors were asked to act as honorary pallbearers: W.H. Lee, R.J. Kelly, Joseph Sittler, Joseph Kell??barger, Charles Thomas, C.H. Jeffords, Dan Wid?man, James McCarty and E.B. Daley.
Mr. Downey has always been one of the progressive citizens and farmers of the county. He was among the first to locate in Dale Valley and his farm there has always been a leader, both in improvement and cultivation. He was also a pioneer of the Catholic faith here and it is due in a great part to his efforts that his church has the place it has today throughout this section. By his efforts the first church in this section was established at Dale. Brick was burned on his farm for the construction of this building although later the plan was changed and a frame building erected. We find that he also served as the precinct assessor and for two terms served on the Board of Supervisors of Custer County. When the CB&Q rail road came through in 1886 he and his brother-in-law, the Robert E. McCarty, had a contract for building several miles o the road between Merna and Anselmo. He also conducted a general store for a time, the first established at the old town of Dale. He also ran the Dale post office moving it to his farm in Aug. 1880. At the time he closed out the stock of good in his general store. Of late he has served as president of the Merna Farmers Elevator and was a stockholder of the Bank of Merna. He always took active interest and a helping part in all community activity and progress. He was the true pioneer spirit, always looking forward to accomplishing greater and better things. Even as he made his presence felt while here, so will he be missed and mourned, not alone by his family but by all the community in which he labored.
Obituary found on Ancestry.com