Dorothy Downing

Dorothy Downing, 98, our mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great- grandmother passed into the arms of her Savior on Feb. 7, 2022. I think she did so to avoid having to face the mid-term elections.

Born in 1924 and reared in Nez Perce Idaho, she graduated high school at age 16 and advanced to Lewiston Normal School, where she received her teaching certificate. While teaching at Canfield's one-room school on the Doumecq Plain, she was only a couple of years older than her eldest student. After teaching for two years, she was the first female school teacher to leave the Plain unattached.

A sprightly young man espied her at a country dance in Kamiah, Idaho, and proceeded to tell her all about herself, having plied her nephew with ice cream to get the information. She and her maid of honor hitchhiked from Lewiston to Seattle where they caught a train to Bakersfield for her military wedding. Mr. and Mrs. Downing followed Eb's educational and flight careers around Idaho until 1957, when they moved to Soap Lake. Dorothy finished her requirements to teach in Washington and taught in the Ephrata School District. She completed her master's degree in librarianship from UW in 1970.

Dorothy has always been a community participant and volunteer. She functioned or led in the following: Jaycees in McCall, Idaho; McCall Ski Club where her son, Ron, learned to ski race; Suds and Sun chair in Soap Lake, Soap Lake Dance Club, Flying Club, Boat Club, Selective Service Board and Bridge Club (where she took such pride in winning high score). Her connections in Washington, D.C. helped her secure for Big Bend Community College a contract to educate military dependents in Germany. She was on the Grant County Museum Board and took classes in the German language. She turned down a job offer to head the Central Washington University Library (because her husband didn't want to move.) She taught stretch and sew, and traveled down the Mississippi River, went to a World Journalists' Convention in Korea and took Dad to Europe and Hawaii. He preferred the Pacific Northwest.

Mom never knew a stranger. Upon entering a room her children were trained to greet every person and introduce themselves. She reared her own four kids and a couple of their friends. She fed scores of people on a very small budget. We were excited to find crushed potato chips on the tuna noodle casserole. She could come up with a game at the drop of a hat (sometimes dropping it herself). We played the Dorothy version of 'Stick in the Hole' and 'Knock the Can off the Wig Head With a Cast Iron Skillet'.

Dorothy was independent, loyal, determined, steadfast and smart as a whip. She worked in politics and we grew up with senior Sens. Magnuson and Jackson, Congressman McCormack and many others at our dinner table in Soap Lake. Dorothy was instrumental in bringing control of Grand Coulee Dam from King County to Grant County. She worked with Senator Patsy Mink to create the shipping and market for alfalfa pellets to Japan. She attended President Carter's inauguration and had dinner with him and the first lady.

She fought for truth in a couple of local court cases. She told the new policeman who pulled her over that she had to get to the bank before it closed, gave him her address to catch her there and drove off. They became fast friends.

Dorothy's leadership in the Soap Lake Garden Club resulted in the construction, funding and dedication of Calling the Healing Waters, the largest human figure sundial. Two native figures are seated on columnar basalt holding a catch basin for the water. The plaza is covered with memorial stones. She re-instituted the annual pow-wow with the Colville Nation.

Mom was preceded in death by her husband, Elbert Downing and all of their collected siblings. She is survived by her family Ron (Barb) Downing, Jeff, Barth, Jeremy and Joe, Randy (Kathy) Downing, Staci, Shad, Dionne and Jason, Diana McAlister, Becky, Debra, Bethany and Kaitlyn, Debbii (Dave) Anderson, Whitney, Kelsey and Skyler; 17 grandchildren, one great-grandchild and one great-great-grandchild. She was always proud of her family.

We all knew to pay ourselves first (savings account) and the reason we did most things was "Because we can!" When our spirits would flag, she would tell us , "We can do it!" And we did.

On Feb. 3, 2022, she said to me, "I've lived my life so that all you kids could be together in a loving way."

Dorothy will be interred with her husband in Lewiston, Idaho.

There will be a public celebration of Dorothy's life held at Calling the Healing Waters, in Smokiam Park Beach in Soap Lake on June 25, 2022. Gifts may be forwarded to the Soap Lake Senior Center or Family Academy, P.O. Box 157, Arlington, WA 98223.