CALVIN KINSEY "KEN" DOWNING, JR.

Calvin Kinsey Downing, Jr. (Ken), aged 59, passed away in  his home in the early morning hours of April 9, 2023, Easter Sunday.

The family will receive visitors at Evans-Skipper Funeral Home at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.  The funeral service will begin at 3:00 PM with Rev. Jeff Spicer and Ronnie Burke officiating.  He will be laid to rest in Friendship Memorial Gardens with Robby Chapman, Robert Grier, Ben Cunningham, Cas Arnold, Tony Spetalieri, and Will Corley serving as active pallbearers. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that friends and loved ones donate to Wounded Warriors, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, or Reynolds Chapel United Methodist Church of Donalsonville, GA in his name.

He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Greer Chapman Downing, and their three children:  Savannah Downing, Macy (Tony) Spetalieri, and Nick Downing.  He is also survived by two older sisters, Charlotte (David) Floyd and Beverly (Mike) George.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Calvin Kinsey Downing, Sr. and Kathleen Jefferson Downing.

He was born on January 13, 1964, in Arlington, GA.  He graduated from Calhoun County High School in 1982, where he played baseball, tennis, and sang and played the drums in a band.  He retired from the Army National Guard after 21 years of service at the rank of Sergeant First Class.  He has been employed by the Department of Public Safety as a State Officer in the Motor Carrier Compliance Division for the past 18 years.

As an active member of Reynolds Chapel United Methodist Church, he was involved in various ways.  He served as a Trustees Chairman, played the drums during morning worship, and also sang.

Ken was an avid outdoorsman.  He especially loved to fish and even caught a wall hanger with his wife on Lake Seminole from a jon boat.  He enjoyed working in the yard and planted no less than hundreds and hundreds of various plants, trees, and flowers.  He was proud of his pepper sauce that he made annually from his garden grown peppers.  He wasn’t afraid to try any new skill or pick up any new interest.  He obtained his private pilot license and enjoyed flying.  He was a talented musician, playing drums, guitar, piano, and had recently picked up the violin.  He has always enjoyed singing in the church choir.

He was a comedian of sorts, detail-oriented, and never did anything without a plan.  He was thoughtful and very sincere in everything that he did.  He was a storyteller extraordinaire, never leaving out a detail.  He expounded on every particularity, from the temperature to the broader setting.  He never did anything halfway or halfheartedly.  He loved his family dearly and always did everything he could to make them happy and feel loved.