Downing Table for Six : October 2012

October 14, 2012

My 30th Birthday

I have officially started a new chapter in my life--my 30s!!! It's hard to imagine that this next chapter could be as eventful as the last. In my 20s, I graduated from college, got married, bought a house, worked a few different jobs (insurance, accounting, children's ministry), and became a stay-at-home mother of two! That's a lot of change, and I loved every second of it (except maybe that accounting part), but enough about that.

My birthday weekend was definitely bittersweet, as we were saying to good-bye to Grandma Downing the same weekend. She passed away on the 5th, and her visitation was on my birthday, the 9th. So it was definitely a weekend of roller coaster emotions. But we did have some happy moments. My family had a party for me on Sunday after church. My mom put together an awesome cake, made out of 30 angel creme donuts, which are absolutely my favorite!

My sisters got me this super-cute sign to hang outside my front door, which can be changed out seasonally.

My parents got me the pumpkin for the fall:

My actual birthday was a very emotional day because that was visitation day. My phone rang at 7:30 a.m., and my first thought was, "who is calling at 7:30?" Not that I minded, but that is out of the ordinary! My next immediate thought was, "oh yeah, it's Grandma Downing calling to sing me 'Happy Birthday' like she always does on our birthdays." And then I quickly remembered that couldn't be. Well, it ended up being my best friend Jennifer calling to say Happy Birthday and that she was thinking of me and praying for me. I couldn't even speak because I couldn't stop crying, but I really appreciated it. She said she hoped God would give me some joyful moments in our difficult day. And I definitely thought of that when my mom called to ask if the kids and I wanted to go get pumpkins and have lunch with my dad in Champaign. That was a much needed break from the grief of the day. We went and filled up a wagon full of pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. The kids had a blast running around and choosing them. Then, we went to Dos Reales for lunch-another favorite of mine!

Josh came home from work early to get ready for the visitation but we took some time to open presents. He did a good job picking out presents for me. I got a beach charm for my bracelet to remember our Myrtle Beach trip, a gift certificate for a massage, an Illini shirt, a pink Fiesta Ware plate, and Zumba for Wii (still on order). Even though it was a tough week, I felt very loved and still had lots of moments of joy in the midst of everything. I can't wait to see what this decade holds!

October 10, 2012

Grandma Downing

Grandma Downing may have only been my grandma by marriage, but to me, she was my grandma. She treated me as her own, and I loved her like my own. I feel particularly indebted and grateful to her for the way she cared for my husband his whole life and what she taught him about unconditional love and family values. Grandma Downing was such a special part of Josh's life that I actually met her within a day of meeting Josh. Josh and I were leaving for our first date when we were 15, and Grandma was at his house, doing the laundry and ironing the clothes. To this day, Josh is pretty particular about his clothes, I think because Grandma always made sure they were nice and neat.

But laundry is just the tip of the iceberg for what Grandma did for her grandchildren. She's one of those very special grandmas who just can't be explained in words. She loved her kids and her grandkids more than anything in the world. They were her heart. She did everything for them. I'm told she spent countless hours with them when they were little. She watched them. She gave them rides to practices. Josh particularly remembers her rubbing his feet and legs for hours when he was having growing pains (and he is now returning that favor to our daughter as she is going through the same thing).

When I started attending Josh's sporting events in high school, I was amazed to realize that Grandma never missed a single one! She was at every tennis meet and every baseball game. She thought he was the best. I remember her getting so nervous at Josh's tennis meets that she would have to walk away! The funny thing is that she didn't understand the scoring, so she wasn't even always sure if he was ahead or behind. She just wanted him to win. After Josh and I got married, Josh joined an adult slow-pitch softball team, and even then, she came to all of his games! One night, Josh hit 3 homeruns-in slow-pitch softball, and she was sure that the newspaper should be there, covering his achievements. She was such a proud Grandma!

When Josh and I were in college, Grandma would send care packages with homemade goodies to our dorm rooms. It was always exciting to get mail at college! She would even include extra bags for us to give to our friends! She has a way of making everyone feel special. But there was one family tradition that I didn't know about until Josh and I got married. That year, on my birthday, the phone rang at about 7:30 on Saturday morning, and it was Grandma, singing "Happy Birthday" to me. It was so sweet. She did that every year, for every person's birthday. Even thinking back to high school, I remember her hanging banners and streamers on Josh's front porch for his birthday. And you always know that your birthday card will have a bunch of coins taped inside, matching the age that you are becoming.

I remember when our first daughter, Hannah, was born, Grandma was just head over heels for her. She was just sure that she had never seen a cuter baby. She loved to come over and hold her whenever she had the chance. Once Jacob came along, she loved him so much too. She just loved talking to the babies.

Grandma had lots of funny little things about her that I don't want to forget. Like she always wore short sleeves, even when it was below zero, she loved to dance to the YMCA at weddings, she never missed bingo night, she rooted for the Cubs for 91 years and never saw them win. And a few weeks ago, when Hannah asked Grandma her favorite color, she said, "well, it's not red" (due to her strong dislike for the Cardinals and the Hoosiers).

The last time we saw Grandma, we didn't know it would be our last. But it was a perfect "last day." She was able to talk to Josh and I. Josh was able to hold her hand and tell her that he loves her. The kids were able to lay in bed with her and cuddle. They both gave her lots of kisses. It really was a special day for us, and I think it was for her too.

Out of all of the wonderful things I could say about Grandma, the most important is that she has left a legacy of love. She loved with every ounce of her being. She gave her life caring for her kids. Her kids reciprocated this love beautifully, caring for her so selflessly in her final days. She loved, and she was surrounded by love. We will miss you Grandma, but we will never forget you.

Hannah is including her favorite memories of Grandma Downing:

-Riding on her wheelchair with her
-Going out to eat at the pizza place with her (we did this all the time)
-Going Trick or Treating at her house
-Getting M&Ms from her
-Cuddling with her in her bed
-Praying for her when she was sick

October 7, 2012

Grandma Downing

October 7, 2012

Margaret Downing

DANVILLE — The season is over. The ballpark is empty. One of our community’s greatest sports fans has moved to the best seat in the house to view her beloved Cubs, Vikings, Illini, Dans and Jaguars.

Margaret Downing, 91, of Danville, passed away Friday, Oct. 5, 2012, at home surrounded by family.

She was born Jan. 6, 1921, in Danville, to Vernela Ringler Felgenhauer (Slabaugh) and Louis Frank Felgenhauer. She married Elmo A. Downing (deceased) on March 22, 1940, in Danville. An infant son, Louis Frank Downing, preceded her in death.

She is survived by her children: Judith Haton (Ron, deceased), Sherry Cannon, Becky Muirhead (John) of Champaign and Stephen Downing. Her grandchildren are: Pamela Garcia (Michael) of Springfield, Bart Haton of Danville, Stephen Cannon of Denver, Colo., Susan Muirhead (Michael Dunne) of Studio City, Calif., Megan Everette (Matt) of Champaign, Joshua (Stephanie) Downing of Catlin, Jordon (Courtney) Downing of Danville and Jeremy Downing (deceased). Her great-grandchildren are: Jarryd (Joann) Braaten of Westville, Chloe and Cannon Garcia of Springfield, Hannah and Jacob Downing of Catlin and Landon Downing of Danville. She is also survived by three sisters: Barbara Karakachos (John, deceased) of Oreana, Betty Palmer (Jack, deceased) of Danville and Cheryl Denton (Danny) of Danville.

The great joys of her life were family and her love of sports. She enjoyed watching her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in all of their school activities, musical performances and sporting events. She was a longtime sports fan of the Cubs, Danville Vikings, the Illini, the Dans and Jaguars. At the age of 91, she still could be found at these events rooting for her teams. She loved playing bingo and going to the riverboat in Peoria. She was well known in the Danville area for her enjoyment of having lunch with her family. She dined out on a daily basis, enjoying many of the area’s restaurants.

Margaret retired from General Electric, where she worked from 1955 to 1983. She was loved by her co-workers who named her the “Bingo Queen” and the “Best Popcorn Ball Maker” in town. She spread good cheer in the workplace and was well-loved by all who were fortunate to know her.

The family would like to extend special thanks and gratitude to her physician, Dr. Sodhi, and to the medical staff of Provena United Samaritans Medical Center; St. Vincent’s Hospital, Indianapolis; Colonial Manor Nursing Home of Danville; and Provena Hospice Care. The quality of her care and the sincere and loving attitude of her caregivers will always be remembered. A special thank you to her hospice caregivers Nancy, Lori, Vicky and Amy.

A service to celebrate the life of Margaret Downing will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, A Life Celebration Home, in Danville. The Rev. Dr. Jimmy Hopper will officiate. Burial will follow at Spring Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, also at Sunset in Danville. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a gift in Margaret’s name to Danville High School’s Athletic Department.