Mary Alice Downing

Mary Alice (Steelsmith) Downing, age 93, of Ellis, passed away Wednesday, August 31, 2011 in Chandler, AZ. She was born March 18, 1918 in Clinton, Iowa to Claude Christian and Nellie Rebecca (Reilly) Steelsmith. She married James Murray Downing on December 30, 1950 in Topeka, Kansas. He preceded her in death on Feb. 8, 2010.Mary Alice graduated from Abilene High School, 1936. She then went to college at Emporia Teachers College and started teaching music and English (1940 - 1950) in Centralia, Cherryvale and then Emporia, Kansas. She earned her masters degree in music, pipe organ, going to summer school five summers from 1940 - 1945 at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Then she met and married Murray Downing in 1950 and started a family and had four children, Sarah, Janis, Kathleen and Michael. Together they raised their family and in 1970 moved to Ellis, Kansas where they purchased the Ellis State Bank. Mary Alice was active and involved in many organizations including Christ Lutheran Church, Young Matrons Club and P.E.O (of which she was an active member for 41 years). Mary Alice was captain of the Ellis State Bank bowling team for many years. Her favorite activity was playing golf with Murray. She was the first woman to score a hole-in-one on the back nine of Smokey Hill Country Club. Mary Alice also loved to play Bridge with her friends. For the past eight years she played the piano weekly at Hawthorne Court in Ahwatukee, a memory care center, as a volunteer when they were in Arizona. She also attended Arizona Community Church in Tempe, AZ. Mary Alice loved and was loved by her family and friends and her kitty cat, Georgie. She is survived by a son, Mike and Jane Downing, Ellis and three daughters, Sarah Downing, Pagosa Springs, Co. Janis and Kim Hodgson, Sugarland, TX. and Kathleen and Stephen Milldrum, Phoenix, AZ. Four grandchildren, Cade, Trent, Lorrel and Brennan Hodgson and Ryan Downing, also survive her.Private family services will be at 3:00 P.M. Saturday, Sept. 3rd at Christ Lutheran Church in Ellis. Public Visitation will be Saturday 2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. at the church. Burial will follow services in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Ellis. Arrangements in care of Keithley Funeral Chapel 400 E. 17th Ellis, KS. 67637.Memorials are suggested to Christ Lutheran Church, Ellis. Condolences may be sent to the family by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or emailed to keithley@ruraltel.net











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