GARY E. DOWNS

Gary E. Downs, 74, of Dayton, passed away at 8:32 p.m. Saturday, March 15, 2025 at Fair Haven Shelby County Home. He was born March 4, 1951 in the Springfield area to the late Roy E. and Mary L. (Hall) Downs. He grew up and spent a large part of his life in the New Carlisle area.

Survivors include two sons, Richard Downs of Madison, Alabama, Jonathan Downs of Norfolk, Virginia; three grandchildren; and a sister, Darlene (Tim) Smith of Piqua. He was preceded in death by a brother, Larry Downs; and one grandchild.

Mr. Downs was a 1970 graduate of Tecumseh High School. After enrolling in college, he was drafted into the United States Army in March of 1971 and was sent to Vietnam after basic training. During his tour of duty, he earned the National Defense Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Bronze Stars and achieved the rank of Specialist 5. He later served in SHAPE Belgium and Fort Benning, Georgia prior to his discharge in March 1980. While serving in the Army, Gary was an audio and television specialist as well as a combat engineer. He was Honorably Discharged following nearly 9 years of service and attended I.T.T. Technical Institute for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration. He worked as a property manager for many years where he looked after and maintained various apartment complexes. He was a member of the American Legion in the Dayton area. Gary loved history and had a passion for learning. He enjoyed watching movies and television shows about history and was an avid reader of history books. Additionally, Gary found great peace while reading his Bible. He will be deeply missed.

A graveside service to honor his life will begin at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at Maple Grove Cemetery in North Lewisburg. Funeral arrangements are being provided to the family through the Jamieson & Yannucci Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to Our Daily Bread Ministries, PO Box 2222, Grand Rapids, MI 49501. Guestbook condolences and expressions of sympathy, to be provided to the family, may be expressed through jamiesonandyannucci.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of GARY E. DOWNS, please visit our floral store.