Earl William ""Bill"" Downs' Obituary
Earl William ""Bill"" Downs Jr., age 59 of Kirksville, MO, died Friday, March 21, 2014 at the Northeast Regional Medical Center, Kirksville.
Bill was born December 10, 1954 in Des Moines, Iowa, the son of Fonda (Osborn) Fountain and Earl William Downs Sr. He graduated from Seymour High School in 1973. Bill was united in marriage to Wanda L. Keel on October1, 1984 in Centerville.
Bill and Wanda moved from Centerville to Fairbanks, Alaska in 2006. Bill was destined to live ""the Alaskan way."" His favorite pastime while living in Alaska was visiting the Denali National Park, a park consisting of 6 million acres of wild land. Following a six year residence in Alaska, they relocated to Kirksville, Missouri.
He loved reading western novels in his free time. Bill was also an animal lover and enjoyed taking road trips with family and friends.
He is survived by his wife, Wanda Downs of Kirksville, Missouri; three children, Joseph LaRue(Margaret) of Stuart, Iowa, Daryl LaRue of Kirksville and Crystal (Tim) Rogers of Kirksville; 13 grandchildren; his mother, Fonda Fountain of Kirksville; a brother, Don Johnson of Albia, Iowa; and a sister, Becky Conn of Centerville.
He was preceded in death by his father; a sister, Renee Downs; and a brother, Rick Downs; 2 step fathers, Charles Johnson and Enos Fountain.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2PM Thursday, March 27, 2014 at the Lange Funeral Home & Crematory, Centerville, Iowa with Becky Conn officiating. A visitation will be from 1-2 PM Thursday before the service. A memorial has been established to the family and may be left at the Lange Funeral Home & Crematory. Condolences may be left at www.langefh.com
Visitation
March 27, 2014 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Lange Funeral Home 1900 S. 18th St. Centerville, IA (641) 856-2000
Celebration of Life
March 27, 2014 2:00 PM
Lange Funeral Home 1900 S. 18th St. Centerville, IA (641) 856-2000
What’s your fondest memory of Earl?
What’s a lesson you learned from Earl?
Share a story where Earl's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Earl you’ll never forget.
How did Earl make you smile?