Gene Downing's Obituary
Harrison Eugene Downing of Moulton Iowa, known to most as Gene Downing, passed surrounded by loved ones on February 15th, 2026.
Born in Dean, Iowa 1939, to Don and Dorothy Downing (Horton), Gene attended Moulton-Udell schools and graduated in 1956. Gene met Freda (Smith), the love of his life, at a square dance in Cincinnati and the two were married in 1957 in Numa, Iowa. They lived in Moulton and raised three daughters there.
Gene was a loving husband and father who cherished family above all. He enjoyed riding motorcycles, hunting, fishing, gardening, wild mushroom hunting, playing pool, arrow-head hunting, taking camping vacations with family, and even called western square dances. Most of all, he enjoyed keeping busy.
Gene began working at the Moulton Locker as a teenager, working part-time after school. He started full-time at the Locker after graduation. Gene spent his career at the Locker, including taking over ownership for over a decade. Loyal, hard-working, and a community business owner, Gene spent nearly 50 years at the Moulton Locker. Not one to sit idle, after retiring from the Locker he spent several more years working at Wells Distribution Center in Centerville.
Gene proved capable of mastering just about anything he put his mind to. He spent years maintaining a side photography business, taking photos for families, senior pictures, and weddings. He was also a skilled do-it-yourselfer who remodeled homes, restored cars and boats, and built cabinetry. Gene applied his carpentry skills to hobby woodworking as well, including hand-making quilt racks for many family members and friends.
Gene Downing will be remembered as a beloved family member and a hard worker with a bit of an ornery streak. He will be dearly missed.
Left to honor Gene’s memory are his beloved wife, Freda Downing; daughters, Rhonda Whitaker, Kimberly Duszynski, and Tracy (Randy) Welch; his sister, Barbara (Darwin) Evans; his brother-in-law Kenneth (Marge) Smith; nine grandchildren, January (Brett) Cooney, Channing (Kristy) Whitaker, Devon Houser, Richard (Mariah) Duszynski, Kaitlyn (Shane) Butler, Ethan (Lexi) Duszynski, Calvin (Crystal) Welch, Chaz (Megan) Welch, Christopher (Ginny) Welch; sixteen great-grandchildren; one Great-Great-grandchild; as well as many nieces and nephews.
Gene was preceded in death by his parents, Don and Dorothy; father-in-law, Pete Smith; his mother-in-law, Edna Smith; sisters, Patsy Baxter and Charolette Edwards; brother-in-law Phil Edwards; and his son-in-law Bill Whitaker.
Per wishes, cremation has been accorded. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 3:00PM, Sunday, February 22, 2026 at Thomas Funeral Home in Centerville. Visitation will take place Sunday, February 22, 2026 beginning at 12:00PM, and the family greeting friends from 2:00PM-3:00PM. A private family burial will be held at Sunset View Cemetery at a later date. Memorials can be made out to Freda Downing, to be designated at a later date, and may be mailed to Thomas Funeral Home, ATTN: Downing Family, 501 North 18th Street, Centerville, Iowa 52544. Condolences may be shared online at https://www.thomasfh.com or https://www.facebook.com/thomasfuneralhome.
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