Visitation
Friday, September 29, 2006
2:00 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes
Kalamazoo Location
6080 Stadium Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 375-2900
Driving Directions
Visitation
Friday, September 29, 2006
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes
Kalamazoo Location
6080 Stadium Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 375-2900
Driving Directions
Service
Saturday, September 30, 2006
11:00 AM EDT
Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes
Kalamazoo Location
6080 Stadium Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 375-2900
Driving Directions
Contributions
At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)
Executive Plaza III, 11350 McCormick Road, Suite 9
In-House Hospice Solutions
5360 Holiday Terrace, Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Life Story / Obituary
Jimmy Downs was the rarest of men, a man with the courage and determination to follow his passion, and was rewarded with a wonderful life full of successes. He was man with great love of cars, and of speed, and he always lived his life accordingly, headlong and full-throttle. He was a successful businessman, devoted husband and loving father, and a loyal friend to so many. Most of all, Jimmy Downs was proof that extraordinary things can happen, but only if you make them happen yourself.
Jimmy's amazing story began on a hot summer day in 1941, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Those were turbulent times across the globe, as the darkening skies of World War II thundered in the distance, still a few months away from reaching our shores. On August 9, 1941, a warm, sunny Saturday in Kalamazoo, James Monroe and Edith Mae ( Kent ) Downs found reason to celebrate, with the birth of a baby boy, a son they named Jimmy.
Jimmy's dad worked for Consumer's Power, while his mother was a bookkeeper and homemaker. Sadly, when Jimmy was six years old, his parents had a baby girl, who died just two days after birth.
From an early age, Jimmy's entrepreneurial spirit was obvious, and he had a large paper route as a little boy. He kept building it up, and eventually had people working for him! He was also active in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, where he naturally loved the soapbox derbies the best!
Being an only child, his mother was very protective of Jimmy, and wouldn't let him play sports in school. So instead, he spent his free time staying up late around the neighborhood, helping the neighbors work on their cars in their garages, where he formed his lifelong passion.
Jimmy went to Kalamazoo Public Schools, and graduated from Kalamazoo Central in 1959, before going on to Western Michigan University. He majored in business there, in addition to joining the Marine Reserves.
Jimmy's first car was a 1956 Chevy convertible, paid for with money he saved up from his paper route and the record store he worked at. Then on the day he turned 21, August 9, 1962, he opened up the Kalamazoo Gazette, found the only Corvette listed for sale, and went out and bought it!
In 1965, Jimmy took a job as an electrician for Otis Elevators. One day while working in an office building, he spied a beautiful young girl, and immediately knew he wanted to ask her out. He waited for his chance, when the two were in the elevator alone together, and summoned the courage to ask out the pretty young secretary, named Pat Chaput. She said yes, and just nine months later, on July 2, 1966, he married her! The newlyweds honeymooned in Mackinac City and Mackinac Island.
The young couple lived in an apartment in Oshtemo, before buying homes in Comstock and then Portage, which he picked for having the best school system in the area. Jimmy bounced around jobs for awhile, but dreamed of being self-employed. As he was always fond of saying, "Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes!"
In 1968, Jimmy was hit by a drunk driver, which slowed him down over the years, but only a little! While he was recovering, he was visited in the hospital by Emmet Kelly, the sad-faced clown Jimmy was fond of. Since that visit, Jimmy began collecting Emmet Kelly memorabilia, and people would bring him clown gifts throughout his life.
In 1970, Jimmy and Pat celebrated the birth of their first child, their son Jamie, while they were living in Portage. Their daughter Angie rounded out the happy family in 1972. That same year, Jimmy and a partner started a business called the Vette Center, starting it on Kalamazoo Avenue, before moving it to Comstock.
Then in 1980, almost by accident, he and Pat started their greatest venture, called Downs Manufacturing. Jimmy had always bought wrecked cars and fixed them up and resold them on the side, and he had four special models he turned into fantastic street rods and took to a national show. He not only sold the cars there, he also took orders for several more! His dream had become a reality, as the business snowballed from there. His business moved to Shaver Road, and eventually, in 1990, they opened in Lawton, buying a large building with plenty of room to grow. By then he had 35 different body styles for street rods, and Jimmy Downs had become the No. 1 name in street rods in the nation! Today his company sells street rod bodies all over the world, and in 2002 Jimmy was even inducted into the Street Rod Hall of Fame.
A confessed gearhead and NASCAR fan (with Dale Earnhardt #3 being his favorite), Jimmy's true skill was found in how he dealt with people, not motors. He was truly a people person, and loved attending the car shows with his wife Pat, wheeling and dealing. He'd do all kinds of trade deals, and enjoyed the bartering with people more than anything.
Jimmy's son Jamie joined the business in the late 80s, helping grow the company and running day-to-day operations as Dad was out selling. It was very rewarding for Jimmy to have one of his kids involved in the business. He was always such a great father, so supportive of his children. He was a coach for Jaime's soccer team, and traveled with him in travel hockey. Angie was a dancer, and Jimmy never missed one of her recitals - he even danced with her at a father-daughter dance! She played softball and was a cheerleader, too, and his kids could always hear Dad's unique, encouraging whistle from all the way up in the stands.
Jimmy was a serious, devoted hockey fan, and as a side business he ran the parking lot for Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo. He also worked security there in the late 70s and early 80s, and made many good friends on the K-Wings hockey team.
Jimmy had many other loves, as well, of course. He also ran the campground he inherited at Bair Lake in Jones, Michigan for awhile, and in the winter, you couldn't keep him off a snowmobile - he loved speed too much! Jimmy was truly a fly-by-the-seat kind of guy, and attending the Richard Petty Driving Experience in Orlando was a life highlight for him, getting the chance to ride in a real NASCAR. Jimmy and Pat also had a winter place in Lake Alfred, FL to be close to all of the attractions there.
Jimmy was a man who simply loved life, though, and everything good about it. He loved apple pie, and chocolate chip cookies, and watching the races on TV. He was passionate, and energetic, a man who always believed in himself, and that he would become something big. He taught others to believe in themselves, too. As he loved to say, "It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're flying with turkeys!"
Jimmy was a visionary man, who was never afraid to dream - or bend the rules! He was very competitive, yet also intensely loyal and loving to those closest to him. He was also a Christian man of great faith, and a proud member of the Third Reformed Church.
Sadly, in 2000, Jimmy's speech became difficult. In 2002 he was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a terminal neurological degenerative disease. After a courageous battle with the disease, Jimmy died September 27, 2006 at his home.
Jimmy was a truly amazing, self-made man, with a remarkable life so full of the successes he richly deserved. He was a visionary, a dreamer, and a man with big plans, but he also had the courage, determination and work ethic to make his dreams reality. "I'm just following my nose," Jimmy used to say, but the truth was, Jimmy always followed his heart, and taught us all to do the same. He will be so greatly missed.
Jimmy Dale Downs, Age 65, of Kalamazoo, died September 27, 2006 at home. He was born August 9, 1941 in Kalamazoo the son of James Monroe and Edith Mae ( Kent ) Downs. Learn more about Jimmy, view his Life Story film and visit with his family and friends on Friday from 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler-6080 Stadium Drive - Kalamazoo, 375-2900. You're encouraged to show case your favorite car in his honor. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday 11:00 AM at the Third Reformed Church, 2345 North 10th Street - Kalamazoo. Food and fellowship will follow at the church hall. Private interment at Maple Grove Cemetery, Mattawan. Jimmy owned many businesses including the Vette Center in Kalamazoo and Downs Manufacturing in Lawton. He was preceded in death by his parents; and infant sister, Joy Lynne Downs. Jimmy was united in marriage with Patricia (Chaput) Downs, who survives. Also surviving are his children: James Patrick (Vicky) Downs of Lawton, and Angela Lynn ( Chad ) Huntley of Mattawan; six grandchildren: CJ, Max, Gabriel and Malakai Huntley and Ryan and Jimmy Dale Downs. To read Jimmy's complete Life Story, archive a memory, upload photos, order flowers, or make a memorial contribution to Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) or In-House Hospice Solutions please visit his personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com