Carl W. Downen
Obituary
Carl’s Life Story, written by Carl
I, Carl Willis Downen, was born Feb. 7, 1916 in Sullivan County, Indiana, on a farm.
I have no recollection of farm life for the first few years, but do remember playing with corn cob horses under the front porch where it was cool during the hot summer. This was where toads lived in the summer also, so we shared the ground with them.
Earl and I started working regularly when we were about six years old. We fed hogs, sheep, cows, chickens and horses. We pumped water and were milking cows by hand, and there were 12 or more of them.
About 1922 or 1923, Dad started working at a coal mine which was about ½ mile from us. Dad did not work down in the mine, but did oiling and greasing of equipment. Dad had a second job at the mine which he did after his 8 hour work day. This second job was loading wood props on the coal cars from down in the mine. These props were used in the mine to hold the ceiling up after coal was hauled out. Earl and I would often go help with this since Dad was paid so much for each prop he loaded.
Dad also had a job at the mine of unloading car loads of sand which came in on the railroad. The sand had to be shoveled out of the car and into the building where it was stored until needed down in the mine. The sand was very heavy and was heavy, hard work for any one.
Dad worked at the mine since this was the depression times, and money was needed to pay the farm mortgage and feed a family. We always had plenty to eat but never had much money for anything else.
We did the farm work with horses when Earl and I started doing field work instead of just chores. We had four horses and a mule in use for several years. This was slow getting things done and particularly if the weather was hot. A hot day and you had to rest the horses to keep them from over-heating. Sometimes you would spend half of the time letting the horses cool off.
About 1932 we finally had a Ford tractor on the farm. We were not good mechanics (Earl and I) and Dad was no mechanic at all. The tractor always ran hot when used for heavy work, so each round we made, we had to stop and put water in the radiator. In later years I learned that the tractor was out of time, so didn’t run good.
I remember using the tractor to cut wheat with, and it was a very hot day. About noon a cold rain came through and I got wet from it which gave me some kind of a chill and I was sick for a couple of weeks and not able to do anything. I did recover and got back to normal.
When threshing wheat each summer Earl or I would take a team of horses to a hay wagon and stack bundles of wheat as they were pitched on the wagon by two men. It was a hard job since we had to stack the bundles of wheat so they would not fall off before we got to the threshing machine. We were very fortunate to not lose a load of bundles.
Our first car was a 1923 Ford Model T., which Dad could not drive. However Earl and I could drive since our neighbor had an old car which had been wrecked but still would run. He let us drive around over his farm so we did know how to drive.
Dad’s problem in driving was that the car would not respond to voice commands. Dad would tell the car to stop, but it went right ahead – horses would stop when you said “woe”!! Car went right ahead. Our barnyard gate was broken each time Dad came home – Earl and I had to repair it each time – not much fun. We finally solved the problem by making a very weak latch from wire which would break and the gate would open without breaking – Dad eventually used the brake anyway.
It is well to note that Dad was not mechanically inclined in any way. If he could fix things with baling wire he was O.K. but to need to do something more detailed, he was in trouble. Loved him just the same, and have chuckled about many things since I left home.
Before the car we had a one seat buggy which was used to go to town. This was slow transportation since it would take an hour or more to get 8 miles to Sullivan. Then there was no room in the buggy, so Mom and Dad sat on the seat and held any small child on their lap, with Earl and I riding on the back side looking out behind. My only objection to this arrangement was we usually went to town after a day’s work and the horse was tired after working all day, and was then asked to run to Sullivan and back home. I voiced my objection to this many times.
Mom was involved in getting the 4-H clubs started in Sullivan County. She had us kids in it as soon as we were old enough. The girls were doing sewing projects and cooking projects with Earl and I doing or rather starting dairy cows. Our dairy projects did not last since our cows didn’t grow and produce much milk, and didn’t produce good dairy stock, so we soon dropped out of 4-H and did farm work instead. The girls did continue 4-H until they were out of school.
When I was in high school, the football coach asked me to go out for football since I was a good runner, but I had no way to get home other than walk or hitch-hike – and I still had my evening chores – going home and doing chores sounded better.
In high school I didn’t socialize much with girls. I was bashful around the opposite sex, so had no dates until graduation time, and I took a girl to the senior dance. I believe her name was Donita Russell. We went to the dance, and I assume we dance but I’m sure it wasn’t very much. Poor girl probably had bruised toes the next morning!!
The farm I was born on was 130 acres of land and was mostly flat and not the most productive land of the area. The farm was owned by Dad’s father. I think Dad bought the farm from his Dad in 1912 or 13.
The house was 3 bedrooms, living room, kitchen and a back porch which was used as a wash room. The house had no electricity or running water inside. There was a dug well in the back yard with a pump to get water. We had an outhouse for toilet necessities. Heating was wood and or coal heating stoves – but no heat upstairs other than ceiling register from downstairs rooms. In winter, a glass of water left on a dresser upstairs would freeze by morning.
The barn was typical of barns of that time. We had room for 10-18 cows and calves, and 4-6 horses. We had a dug well by the barn which we used to pump water for the cows, horses, hogs, a heard of sheep (40-50). We spent a lot of time pumping water by hand for all.
Dad and Mom came to visit Margaret and me when I was a traveling salesman in northwest part of Ohio. My dad went with me as I was calling on dealers. We were through the town of Ottawa and I noticed everyone in town seemed to be running down the street – we wondered what was going on in the town.
As we crossed the railroad I noticed a passenger train was parked just past the street we were on and Harry Truman was on the back platform of the train talking – he was running for President of the U.S.A. Well, Dad was so excited to get to hear what Truman was saying that he jumped out of the car before I could stop and ran with everyone else to hear Truman talk. Dad voted for him, and he won the election. I don’t think that one vote got him elected, but it helped.
When I graduated from High School in 1934 I wanted to go to Purdue University, but the depression was in full swing so we had no money for college. Earl had been lucky and got a $500.00 scholarship for college, but I wasn’t that fortunate.
I was able to find a job working for Kraft Cheese Co. as soon as school was out, and I also had a job on Saturday at an A & P Grocery story in Sullivan. I worked every Saturday for 7 A.M. to 11 P.M.
The Kraft Cheese Co. job was calling on the farmers who sold their milk to Kraft and trying to get them to clean up their barns so their milk would be cleaner. This didn’t work since the price of milk was so low that no farmer would spend money.
After 3 months of effort and no results, I told my boss that it wasn’t working, and asked for permission to try a different approach to the problem. My approach was to talk to the housewife about cleaner milk for the family to drink and try to take her out to the barn and see what could be done for cleaner conditions without spending money. It worked and Kraft Cheese did get cleaner milk, and the family drank cleaner milk. I had a job until I went to school a year later.
After working a year, I had a little money saved and had a Model A. Ford paid for. I decided I would go to Purdue and try to stay for a 2-semester year of school. Well, before the year was up, I was running out of money and realized I needed to work, so on a Saturday morning I started out looking for a job. I started across the levee between West Lafayette and Lafayette. I was calling on every business place as I came to them. The 5th business I came to was a Standard Oil filling station, and he was interested in someone to work from 11 P.M to 7 A.M., 7 days a week. I took the job and had no idea how I would handle it and go to school.
After a couple of weeks and getting adjusted to different sleep and work hours, it wasn’t as bad as I had expected. I found that I was tired most of the time and found that I could stay awake in classes by sitting in the front row and telling the instructor about my work schedule, and asking to be kicked when needed. That did happen a few times.
I also found that most nights from about 1:30 to 5:30 there was very little business, so I could doze off some and get some rest. I found I could lie on the desk facing the picture window and see any activity on the drive. No one ever got inside before I woke up and was up. My boss approved of this also.
After the first semester with the work schedule, I dropped one class each semester instead of carrying a full load and then picked up the two classes in the summer school. This worked good except in the last semester I was notified that I was short 2 classes that were necessary for graduation that semester.
Well, I was tired of school and had two job offers, so took one of the jobs and never did go back to Purdue to get a graduation diploma by taking the two required subjects.
As soon as school was out in the spring of 1939 I went to Consolidated Products Co. main office in Danville, Illinois, and spent a week there learning how their business was run, and how I would fit into their method of doing business. They had an office there, a manufacturing plant, and an experimental farm.
After a week at Danville, I was given a list of the people the company was doing business with in the northern half of Indiana and started out on my own. Needless to say I was nervous to be on my own so quick, but did very well, and found I could talk with business people without too much difficulty.
After two weeks I was sent to the Indiana State Fair, where the Co. had a display, and spent 10 days there working from 7 A.M. to 11 P.M. and talked most of that time.
At the Indiana State Fair there were 4 salesmen. Two of us were new and the other two were older salesmen who had worked for many years. The other new salesman was Al Buckthal from someplace in Indiana also. I had a good time there learning to talk to people and developing an approach to people who stopped.
After the Indiana Fair, I was sent to the Ohio State Fair and then early winter I was sent to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to a fair of some kind – was there by myself but don’t remember what it was.
When I started working for Consolidated Products Co., my boss told me how to dress – wear a suit and tie – and said I was to make six calls each day on farmers. Well, I found that most days if I tried to make 6 farm calls, my day was gone since I had to see the feel dealer and him give me 6 names and tell me where they lived. When I got to their farm, they were not at home. I soon realized that I couldn’t follow that schedule and make any progress at all. I called my boss and asked permission to try another approach to selling – was O.K. to change.
After changing my approach and not spending time to see farmers, my volume began going up and continued to improve until I was in the upper bracket most months – there were 72 salesmen, and I was on top frequently, but not always by any means.
I was transferred from Indiana to Wisconsin and had the entire state and about 1/3 of Illinois, the northern 1/3 of the state.
Margaret and I arrived in Madison, Wisconsin on New Years Eve, 1941, and of course had to find an apartment to live in. We found a 1 bedroom apartment not too far from the capital building – shared the bath with a lady – no problem.
When I started calling on dealers the first thing I had to do was buy a compass for the car – everything was covered with snow including road signs and direction signs. In spite of all the snow I soon was getting around without too much difficulty and I was driving more than in Indiana, because the area was twice as big as Indiana or more.
I’m not sure why I was transferred to Wisconsin, but we had a new product called Kaffa, which was to replace a cow’s milk after a newborn calf was a few days old. This let the cow’s milk be used for human consumption much sooner since it wasn’t needed for the young calf. Wisconsin is a large dairy cow state and I really did sell a volume of the new product as well as other products.
We only stayed in Wisconsin about 6 months when we were again transferred and this time it was to northern Ohio. This area was where a lot of chickens were raised and where farmers had large flocks of hens laying eggs for consumption. There were also farmers raising broilers for consumption.
This was a much smaller area to travel but volume of sales was still good, and then there was World War II, which took me off the road in the U.S.A. and put me in Africa, Italy, Sicily, France and Germany.
I really preferred the good old U.S.A. where I ran up and down the roads in a warm car, and talked to nice people, and could go home and be with a nice – nice – nice wife, and had a warm place to sleep and a new daughter to be with for a very few weeks before my life changed for what seemed like forever.
Dad’s Family Story – second writing
I was born and raised on a farm in Sullivan County, Indiana. The farm was 8 miles from Sullivan, 4 miles from Shelburn, and 4 miles from Hymera and was originally 120 acres. The land was not the best, but had belonged to my father’s father. I’m not sure when Dad bought the farm, but I would guess about 1915, or might be couple of years sooner.
The farm was farmed with horses, since tractors were not used much at that time. We had 4 to 6 horses, and 12 to 18 cows which we milked by hand twice daily. We also had 8 to 10 brood sows so cared for them and their pigs. Then we also had sheep, about 30 or 40 ewes and their lambs; also chickens – maybe 100 hens.
With all the work we (Earl and I) were up most mornings about 4:30 and worked until 7:00, ate breakfast and were off to school. Then in the evening, the process was reversed in that we worked doing chores again, and then ate supper at 6:30 to 7:00 P.M.
Our summers were also busy since we helped get the crops in which was a slow process with horses. Horses in the summer would get hot so they required resting regularly to keep them from getting too hot.
We eventually had a Fordson tractor to do the heavy work but Dad was not a mechanic at all, so couldn’t maintain the tractor. If he could fix it with a piece of baling wire he was O.K., but otherwise it was up to Earl and me. The tractor ran hot, so each round we made with it you stopped and put water in the radiator. The transmission was under the driver’s seat, and got so hot that you couldn’t sit on the seat. We had a bag full of straw which we put on the seat and then stood on that to steer the tractor through the field – it was hard work.
I remember one time we were cutting wheat – shortly after we were out of school for the summer – and it was a very hot day. I was driving the tractor pulling the wheat binder, and a cold rain came unexpectedly, and I was wet by the rain. I had a heat stroke or something, and was sick for 2-3 weeks because of the cold rain and being so hot when it came up.
I was raised during the big depression years. We lived on the farm and never had very much money but we always had plenty of food and a warm, clean place to live. Our house was not modern in that we had no electricity or water pressure in the house. We had an outhouse and a water pump in a 30 foot well in the back yard. Our heat was from a kitchen stove heated with wood and coal, as well as a heating stove in the living room. Our upstairs bedroom, where Earl and I slept, had no heat. Water in a glass would freeze in winter. We had lots of covers for warmth. A glass of water froze partly because we always had at least one window with a broken glass which let lots of cold air in.
Dad worked at a coal mine which was about ¼ mile from us. He worked in the tipple and did mainly greasing of the machinery. He also had an agreement with the mine to load timbers on small rail cars that were taken down in the mine. The timbers were used to prop up the ceiling where the coal was removed. Earl and I would help load these timbers and we could then use the showers in the bathroom. The miners all used the showers since work in the mine was a very dirty job.
Dad also had a contract with the mine to unload carloads of sand which was used down in the mine. Sand is a very heavy thing to shovel, but we boys would be there helping shovel the sand out of the railroad flat car into a building. Sometimes we would unload the entire car by ourselves. This helped develop some muscles.
I failed to mention that we had a hired hand during these times, and he did farm work. He did plowing, planting of crops, tilling crops and harvesting. We helped with these chores also since one man could not do it all.
From about the age of 8 we did considerable work on the farm and could, and did do most anything that needed doing. I remember one spring it was very hot and we weren’t getting the farm work done. So we would get up about ten o’clock at night and do the farm work with the horses. The horses could go along fine at night since they could not overheat since it was cooler. This year was a drought year and crops dried up before time to harvest them – was the driest year we had for many years.
Our family on the farm consisted of six children. Earl and I were the oldest with Doris, Ruth, and Martha as younger sisters and then John as the youngest.
The girls were all involved in the farm with helping cook, washing and ironing clothes, and cleaning as well as many other chores.
John had his chores too, but by the time he was older, farming had changed and there was less pressure for physical work.
Carl's W.W. II Timeline
• March 24, 1943, Left Lafayette through Indianapolis, to Columbus Ohio for induction at Fort Hayes.
• March 25, 1943, Was sent to Camp Custer, Mich. for 8 weeks basic in Military Police Escort Guard Co.
• July 2, 1943, Was sent to Boston, Mass. to pick up train load of POW from Germany and took them to Trinidad Col. Took 7 days.
• July 17, 1943, Was sent to Camp McCain, Miss. to a POW camp as a guard.
• Sept. 21, 1943, Was transferred to the Veterinary Service, which is food inspection.
• May 24-29, 1944, Landed in Oran, N. Africa, with assignment in station hospital as food inspector.
• July 20, 1944, Was in Italy at this time
• Sept. 10, 1944, Landed on the French Riviera after stop in Sicily
• Sept. 22, 1944, Was in Grenoble, France
• Sept. 24, 1944, Was in Sisteron, France
• Oct. 13, 1944, Was in combat at this time, and maybe first time back to rest area.
• Dec. 2, 1944, Was taken prisoner by Germans
• Dec. 24, 1944, Arrived at Stalag 4B
• May 8, 1945, Released from prison camp by Russian army.
• May 18, 1945 Returned to U.S. control at Elbe River
• June 6, 1945, Left France by boat for U.S.
• June 18, 1945, Arrived New Port News, VA by boat.
• Oct. 26, 1945, Discharged
More about Carl and Margaret:
When Carl returned home from the war, they moved back to Ohio, and Carl continued his job with Consolidated Products Co. They bought a house, and opened a boarding home, which gave them extra income. Carl travelled a lot selling buttermilk products to farmers. They also had a chicken farm there.
Sadly, they lost a baby by miscarriage in 1946. Alice was born in 1948, followed by Janet in 1951.
They moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana in 1954. Carl went into business with his brother-in-law, Don Branstetter, who was Doris' husband. Together they operated B & D Lumber.
In 1957, they purchased the home at 1309 E. Main, and lived there until the fall of 2001, when they moved to the East Union Condo.
Carl left the lumber yard in 1961, and started his construction business, Downen Building Service.
Margaret worked at Crawfordsville High School, from 1960 - 1967, as a secretary.
They bought McFarland & Miller Monument Works in 1967, changing the name to Crawfordsville Monument Co. about 1970. They retired in 1985.
Karla has 4 children: Brent, Casey, Holly and Stacy. She was married to Brian Hill. (divorced)
Alyce died Jan. 12, 1991. She had 1 son: Jeremy. She was first married to Bill Taylor, then to Lynn Baker.
Janet has 3 sons: Josh, Jared & Mark. She married Fred Clements
Carl and Margaret were active in the Lutheran Church, and all the girls were brought up in the church.
Other activities they enjoyed: church building with Laborers for Christ after retirement, travelling in their motor home, Fountain Park Chautauqua, furniture refinishing, helping other people, and Carl was a Red Coat for many years. Margaret made many quilts, making sure all the grandchildren and great grandchildren received one or more quilts. Both delivered Meals on Wheels for several years, and are members of American Legion and VFW. They enjoyed all their grand kids, and were enthusiastic supporters of all their activities. Carl worked many jigsaw puzzles in his later years.
As of this writing, Carl and Margaret have celebrated 71 years of marriage.
Genealogy of Carl Willis Downen
Josiah Downen Sr. was born between 1740 and 1745. He died in 1802 in Mulenberg County, Kentucky. He married Mary Elizabeth Smith. Josiah and Mary had the following children:
• Job Downen was born in 1768 in Anderson, South Carolina.
• Hannah Downen was born in 1770. She was in South Carolina in 1788. She married James Dixon of Christian County, Kentucky in 1800.
• William Downen was born 1770-1775. His probable death was June 15, 1849. He married Margaret Robinson (born 1780 and died November 1834 of milk sickness)
• Timothy Downen was born in 1777 and died on December 28, 1828 in Posey County, Indiana. He married Jane Brice (born 1782 in South Carolina).
• Josiah Downen Jr. was born on August 1, 1780 and he died on June 9, 1845 in Posey County, Indiana. He married Ann Barton.
• Polly Downen (twin) was born in 1784. She married John Lacy in 1803 in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
• Elizabeth Downen (twin) was born in 1784. She married James Calvin in 1803 in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
• David Downen was born in 1787 and he died in 1838. He married Betsy Oliver (born 1782 in South Carolina) in 1808 in Christian County, Kentucky. They soon moved to Posey County, Indiana.
• Patsy Downen was born in 1788. She married Thompson Price in 1806 in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
'Between 1780 and 1782 during the Revolutionary War, Josiah [DOWNEN],Sr. served in the South Carolina Militia under the command of General Andrew Pickens, American Revolutionary Partisan leader, who formed armed bands to harass the British in South Carolina. Josiah was sent out on a detachment under Colonel Hays to encounter the enemy and was knocked from his horse and was badly hurt.'
Source: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, loose papers in folders: 'For Militia Duty - Reference - AA2014, pages 1U through 2U.
Josiah Downen Jr. was born on August 1, 1780. He died on June 9, 1845 in Posey County, Indiana. He married Ann Barton (July 14, 1792-June 22, 1845) in 1815. Ten children are listed in the family Bible of Josiah:
• Ruth Downen was born on February 13, 1816 and she died on February 3, 1845. She married Joseph Oliver.
• Polly Downen was born on July 4, 1817 and died on September 7, 1822.
• Elizabeth Downen was born on September 15, 1820. She married Maymon Duty.
• William Downen was born on June 15, 1822 and he died on February 8, 1897. He married Elizabeth Barton.
• Stillborn baby Downen
• Job Downen was born on February 8, 1825. He married Jane, who was born in 1833.
• Stillborn baby Downen
• Martha “Patsy” Downen was born on November 13, 1830. She married John Crunk.
• Jane “Jintsy” Downen was born on October 24, 1832 and died on October 4, 1852.
• Samuel Downen was born on October 24, 1832 and died on July 15, 1848.
William Downen was born on June 15, 1822. He died on February 8, 1897. He married Elizabeth Barton (1825-1856). William and Elizabeth had five children:
• Louisa Downen was born in 1844.
• John Downen was born in 1847.
• Josiah (Si) Downen was born on May 13, 1849 in Posey County, Indiana. He died on September 23, 1939. He married Martha Robinson Luther.
• Alma Ronda Downen was born in 1851.
• Parthenia Downen was born in 1854.
William remarried to Rutha M. Gwaltney (1836-July 15, 1874) William and Rutha had eight children:
• Benjamin Downen was born in 1858.
• Julia Ann Downen was born in 1860. She married John M. Utley.
• Joseph Downen was born in 1861 and died in 1898.
• Sarah Downen, who married Millard Bowling.
• Elizabeth Downen, who married John M. Utley.
• Idelia Downen, who married Otis Barton.
• William Downen
• Willis Henry Downen was born on February 25, 1872 and he died on March 10, 1914. He married Della Mae Cox (1873-December 15, 1933.)
Josiah (Si) Downen was born on May 13, 1849, in Posey County, Indiana. He died on September 23, 1939 in Vincennes, Indiana. He married Martha Robinson Luther (4-14-1859 to 3-24-1925). Si and Martha had seven children:
• Willis Carl Downen was born in 1885.
• Enos Downen was born in 1887. He never married.
• Ceryl Ben Downen was born on December 6, 1888 at New Haven, Illinois.
• Infant son Downen was born on January 26, 1891 and died the same day.
• Anna Lois Downen was born on February 25, 1894. She married Gerald Botsford. She lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• Howard L. Downen was born on June 25, 1896 in Gallatin County, Illinois. He married Ruby Westfall at Vincennes, Indiana.
• Frank Robert Downen was born on March 21, 1898 in Gallatin County, Illinois. He married Inez Louise Hogue on November 4, 1920.
Ceryl Ben Downen was born on December 6, 1888, in New Haven, Illinois. He married Ethel Arena Ford (daughter of Daniel W. Voorhees and Alice Heiny Ford) on 6-3-1913 in Sullivan County. Ethel died on February 5, 1998. Ceryl was a farmer. Ethel and Ceryl had the following children:
• Earl Ford Downen born 3-27-1914 (in Sullivan County, as were all the rest). Earl married Mary A. Richards on 10-24-1937. Earl died on April 13, 1995.
• Carl Willis Downen born 2-7-1916. Carl married Margaret Budde.
• Doris Louise Downen Branstetter born 11-27-1917. Doris married Don Branstetter.
• Ruth Anne Downen Garlic born 9-6-1922. Ruth Anna married William L. Garlic on 2-28-1945.
• Martha Alice Downen Eiche born 6-12-1926. Martha married Milo L. Eiche on 12-21-1952.
• John David Downen born 4-11-1930. John married Barbara ?, Margaret “Marnie” Sayles, and Zinaida ?.
Carl Willis Downen was born on 2-7-1916 in Sullivan County, IN.
He married Margaret May Budde (b. 12-11-1920) (daughter of William and Mary Budde) on Aug. 2, 1941. They are both still living
They had 3 daughters:
Karla Sue Downen Hill (b. 1-26-1943) She married Brian Hill (divorced).
They had 4 children:
Brent Jay (b 4-3-1967) Married to Eden Gerash (b. 2-12-?) (m. 9-10-1994) They have 3 children:
Nathan Jay Hill (b. 3-2-98)
Alec Wesley Hill (b. 1-24-2001)
Colin Christopher Hill (b. 9-10-2003 )
Casey Lee (b. 4-2-1970) Married Brenda Craig (b. 5-20-1972) (m. 9-26-1997) They have 3 children:
Madison Leigh Hill (b. 2-21-2003)
Lauren Kaye Hill (b. 7-6-2006)
Landon Craig Hill (b. 7-6-2006)
Holly Sue (b. 7-27-1971) Married Timothy Edward Johnson (b. 12-30-1971) (m. May 2, 1998) They have 2 children:
Blake Edward Johnson (b. 2-24-2003)
Avery Ann Johnson (b. 9-3-2006)
Stacy Ann (b. 2-12-1979) She has 1 son:
Jordan Lee Watson (b. 10-11-2008)
Alyce Ann Downen Baker (b. 2-9-1948) was married to Bill Taylor (divorced). She later married Lynn Baker (m. 9-25-1974). She died Jan. 12, 1991. She had 1 son:
Jeremy J Taylor (b. 3-10-1970) Married Alejandra Zavalda (divorced). They have 3 children:
Emmanuel Taylor (b. 3-26-1997 (Adopted))
Alice Lorraine Taylor (b. 3-31-2001)
Carl Alberto Taylor (b. 6-21-2005)
Jeremy then married Erika Perez. They have 4 children:
Jeremy Trinidad Taylor-Perez (b. 3-21-2006)
William Charles Taylor-Perez (b. 5-21-2007)
Michael Lee Taylor-Perez (b. 8-7-2008)
Jessica Guadalupe Taylor-Perez (b. 12-21-2010)
Janet Kay Downen Clements (b. 4-28-1951). She married Frederick Reed Clements (b. 6-2-1951) m. 6-17-1972. They live in Crawfordsville, IN.
They have 3 sons:
• Joshua Carl Clements: (b. 8-5-1975) in St. Anthony Idaho. He married Elicia LeBold 1-29-2005. They reside in Zionsville IN.
They have 3 children:
Jacoby Frederick Clements, b. 8-27-2008
Kiley Elizabeth Grace Clements, b. 4-26-2011
Caroline Margaret Kay Clements, b. 2-19-2013
• Jared Reed Clements (b. 10-31-1981) in Crawfordsville IN. He married Stephanie Nicole Arenz (m. 6-12-2005) They reside in Barahona, Dominican Republic where they serve as missionaries.
• Mark Robert Clements (b. 12-23-1990) in Crawfordsville IN. He resides in Indianapolis, IN.
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Carl W. Downen, 99, passed away April 23, 2015 at Ben Hur Nursing Home.
He was born Feb. 7, 1916 on a farm near Shelburn, Indiana, to Ceryl B. and Ethel (Ford) Downen. He attended a 1-room school in Hymera for 2 years. He was a graduate of Sullivan High School and Purdue University School of Agriculture.
On Aug. 2, 1941, he married Margaret Budde at St. James Lutheran Church, in Lafayette.
He was a salesman for Consolidated Products Co., travelling in Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio before entering the Army in 1943. While in the Army he was a Combat Medic in France, and at the beginning of The Battle of the Bulge, he was taken prisoner by German soldiers, and spent 6 months in Stalag 4-B.
After returning from W.W. II, he again worked for the same company in Ohio, until becoming a partner in B. & D. Lumber Co. for several years. He also had a construction company, Downen Building Service.
In 1967, he and his wife purchased and operated McFarland & Miller Monument Co. (now Crawfordsville Monument Co.) until retirement in 1985. He and Margaret then joined "Laborers for Christ", a volunteer organization, helping build Lutheran churches in Colorado, Texas, Utah and Kentucky.
Carl was an active charter member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, and a member of VFW, American Legion, Hospital Auxiliary, and former member of Lions' Club. For many years he delivered Meals on Wheels, and served as a "Red Coat" at Culver and St. Clare Hospitals for many years. In 2011, he went on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
He enjoyed traveling, reading, playing cards, wood-working, and he completed and framed many jigsaw puzzles. He especially enjoyed being with his family. He was a kind and generous man, respected by all who knew him.
Surviving with his wife are two daughters: Karla Hill of Quincy, IL, and Janet (Fred) Clements of Crawfordsville; 8 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren; sister, Doris Branstetter of Crawfordsville, and brother, John (Zina) Downen of Madeira Beach, FL.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Alyce Baker; brother, Earl Downen; and sisters, Martha Eiche and Ruth Ann Garlic.
Memorial donations may be made to Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1414 E. Wabash Ave., Crawfordsville IN 47933 or to the Montgomery Co. Community Foundation, P.O. Box 334, Crawfordsville, IN 47933.
Carl's Funeral Sermon, given by Pastor Steven Shank, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, April 27, 2015
At a time of grieving as we have today, all those who are present here, and I on behalf of this congregation, offer your family and all who were closest to Carl our deepest sympathy. May our dear Lord, who knows your needs, comfort you and give you strength and faith to uphold one another.
Whenever people gather for a Christian funeral, there are always two basic reasons for the worship service. 1.) to demonstrate by our presence, the respect we have for Carl and the life he was given as a trust from God. 2.) to contemplate the meaning of our own relationship with God and towards other people for both now and eternity.
There were many verses in scripture that were especially meaningful to Carl throughout his life. Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire] in his temple." Job 19:25-27 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me.
For our consideration this morning, I want to take a look for a minute at Carl's confirmation verse which was given when he affirmed his baptism and demonstrate how this was much more than just a verse from scripture, but a living word lived out in Carl's life.
The verse comes from Revelation 2:10 and says "10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."
How fitting of a verse for Carl this really is. In 1943 Carl joined the Army as a combat medic. I wonder if he knew the suffering he would see as someone who provides aid and comfort to those wounded in battle? Not to mention his own suffering at being taken as a prisoner of war and enduring that for 6 months. A far cry from the life of a traveling salesman that he had left behind and the joy of being a husband and father.
What a joyous day that had to be and a day of hope and relief when the prison camp was liberated. But as I reflected on Carl's life, I get the sense that as great of a day as that liberation was, it paled in comparison to the liberation from the chains and prison of sin that he received when he was baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ.
I have to believe that the suffering he both saw and experienced and by the Grace of God survived, also led him to live out and focus his life on the graceful words of the second part of his confirmation verse. "BE FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH, AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE CROWN OF LIFE." Carl was not only faithful to God but was FULL OF FAITH. He reflected God's saving grace throughout his life in so many different ways. The life of the Christian is a life of service to God and service to one another.
Just a cursory reading of Carl's obituary shows this life of faith towards God and towards his family and community. Even after retiring from his own businesses, he continued to serve God and others through Laborers for Christ...... building churches in multiple states that others may come to know the Grace of God toward sinners. He used the gifts and talents that God had given him to faithfully build houses of worship in order to bring others into a relationship with Jesus.
When not doing that, Carl was actively serving in the community delivering meals on wheels, and being a red coat for two hospitals for many years. Carl understood what it meant to be faithful and to be full of faith. He understood what it meant to live a life of service to God and to all with whom he came into contact. He understood GRACE, the unmerited, undeserved love of God for His creation. Carl sought out ways to faithfully share the generosity of God in his own life with others. He was a charter member of this very congregation and in his generosity, he and Margaret donated the land on which this building stands and remains a testimony of his faithfulness unto death.
All of the stories we can tell about Carl demonstrate a life of Grace and Mercy towards others in the same way that he was shown Grace and Mercy by God. We know that of God clearly in the Bible verse so often repeated among Christians. John 3:15 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. " Whether we celebrate a birth or a marriage, whether we experience success or suffer from failure, whether we suffer with disease or rejoice in health, whether we gather as a family at a thanksgiving feast or to mourn at a funeral, we........like Carl, find life's fullest and final meaning always in the grace of God.
It is only fitting then that today we should testify greatly that God's grace was also the greatest thing in Carl's life. He had so many things to be thankful for: successful businesses, 99 years of life, the love and treasure of wife, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, many achievements and awards as can be seen by the medals he was awarded for his service. ALL of these things stem from the gift of God that we call GRACE. For Carl, this was obviously true and could echo the words of Paul.... "By the Grace of God, I am what I am". Carl recognized God's grace as witnessed by church attendance and the actions and attitudes of life. For all who believe, even one's own weaknesses and sins are overcome by God's grace in Christ.
The amount of comfort and hope given by the Grace of God is never more evident than when a Christian's life on earth comes to an end. The entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15, of which we heard a portion this morning, is an account by Paul of the hope and assurance we have because of God's grace in Christ Jesus. Paul rests all evidence of our eternal hope on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins, rose again to assure us that the victory is won.
No one can claim to stand blameless before God by his own merit. Neither do we claim that for Carl, but we have faith and firmly believe, as God's Word tells us, that the blood of Jesus cleanses us all from sin. lt is this confidence in the grace of God that brings peace to you now. That confidence will help you even more than the good memories that you hold dear........ and it is wise and important to share those good memories with one another at this time. But the Grace of God is what will sustain you, as it did Carl.
Carl and Margaret wanted those close to them to see how God's grace was shown in their lives. Over the last couple of years, as I got to visit Carl, I was given the opportunity to read a book called "letters of love and hope". It is what I would call a book of love. A book they compiled to leave behind for their family to see and share. It is filled with the letters from their time together, the shared struggles and joys and telling of their story.
Interwoven in the pages of that book is another book of love. Another book of letters of love and hope. The book of God's love. The Bible. From which God reveals His love for Carl and for each of you present here today. A book that reveals God grace and forgiveness of sins. A book that calls you to be faithful and to be full of faith, and that promises the crown of life at the end of that faithfulness.
At the end of 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul writes words that give a fitting exhortation to you as you go forward in God's grace: "Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain."
Reflecting on the way that Carl lived out God's grace in Christ to others, I think it is appropriate and truthful to say that His labor was not in vain, his labor was for Christ, and that he was faithful and full of faith unto death and has received the crown of eternal life....... All by God's grace.