Mrs. Mary A. Downey passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. William Downing, November 11, 1947 in Portland, Oregon. Death came after a long illness. She was born March 14, 1862 in Wisconsin, the daughter of Hugh and Sarah Roberts Jones who were natives of Wales. Hugh was born in Merthye Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales and Sarah was born in South Wales. The family lived in Minerville, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and finally Royal, Iowa where the family moved when Mary was 10 years old. Samuel, Elizabeth, Ellen, Lewis, Margaret, Phillip, William, Thomas, and Lucy Mae were her siblings.
In 1879 she was united in marriage to John J. Downey. To this union 12 children were born. Her husband and seven children preceded her in death. Those surviving are Thomas of Vallejo, California, Joseph of Shoshoni, Wyoming, Raymond of Callaway, Paul of San Diego, California, and Bernice Downing of Portland, Oregon. In June of 1880 Mr. and Mrs. Downey settled on a homestead in Dale Valley. Mrs. Downey remained at this home until the summer of 1944 when she went to stay with her daughter. She is the last one of the Dale valley pioneers who remained on the original homestead.
Funeral services were held at the St. Paul's Catholic Church in Merna, Friday, November 14, at 10 a.m., with Rev. Daniel Divine officiating. Following Requiem Mass and an impressive tribute to the departed, burial was made in the Dale Cemetery near her old home. The pallbearers were E.B.Wood, Joseph K?,John Kettleborough, Frank McCarty, Donald Wood, and Geo Fl??hman.
Those from out-of-town who attended the funeral services of Mary A. Downey; were Mr. and Mrs. T.F.Downey of Vallejo, Cal., Mr. and Mrs. Joe M. Downey of Shoshoni, Wyo., Mr. and Mrs. Bernard McCoy of Riverton, Wyo., Paul Downey of San Diego, Calif., Mrs. William Downing of Portland, Ore., Philip Price of Omaha, and Mary McCauley? of Gothenburg.
*Mary Agnes was her baptismal name but everyone knew her as Mary Ann. She worked in a miner's boarding house where she met John. She was only 16 when she married. She walked to Mass weekly, rain, snow or sleet. She was strong in her faith.
Obituary found on Ancestry.com