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I attended the Celebration of Life of Howard Downey at Hope Baptist Church, the owner of Duck Creek Gardens since 2013, even though I would suspect Howard would likely say he was just a caretaker with his wife, Betsy, and others. 

In fifth grade, I would often stress to students to be colorful, creative, and different, and Howard certainly had those characteristics as stressed by his pastor, Dennis Chasteen, and Betsy during the service. Even though Betsy's first date with Howard at a concert did not go well, he soon presented her tickets to a Purdue basketball game which she gladly accepted. They were both Purdue University students at the time, and she was happy to cheer on the Boilermakers with Howard by her side. Betsy shared how Howard was a student of the Word and very much enjoyed discussing and sharing his knowledge. Biblical acting was very much something he enjoyed in trying to convey important messages and in releasing his inner self. The story in Daniel of three brothers, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, facing King Nebuchadnezzar was obviously one of his favorites with one of the reasons being their response to the king, that no matter if God saved them in the fiery furnace or not they would continue to worship and serve God. That belief was something that Howard expressed many times during his short battle with a brain tumor.

Much thanks was given to the caregivers and the Spirit within Howard. Both Howard and Betsy knew the road ahead would have never been the same if surviving the aftermaths of the brain surgery to remove the tumor and the consequent brain swelling. Betsy ended with words Howard likely would have stated, “God cares and loves through the bad and the good.”

Pastor Chasteen then spoke about Howard's wisdom, wittiness, intelligence, joyfulness, courageousness, and happiness, the reasons why many people from Hope and elsewhere attended the viewing and Celebration of Life. He referred to Howard as the Go-to-Guy for him and many others. Life would just not be the same without having Howard to call on to fix something with the right tools and in a timely fashion. While visiting Howard after the surgery, Pastor Chasteen noticed how Howard maintained a sense of humor by sneaking in some soup when Betsy wasn't looking. He mentioned how Howard and Betsy were involved in the Hope Ride and the Hope Relay for life.

During the service, I sat by Dan Fleming, former Hope Elementary colleague, and asked how he was connected to the Downeys. He talked about how 4-H had brought their families together which started a long-lasting friendship and about how he had the highest respect for the Downey family. In fact, Dan sent me a heartfelt letter which I have pulled some of his thoughts for this article. Within it, Dan stated: “Perhaps an additional way to look at the life of Howard and how he lived it would be to look at a family from which he came. Being raised in a farm family with six siblings, he was taught early that getting along with others was not only a necessity, but a joy, especially when humor could be used as a method for rising above chaos or inconvenience. Such living skills were exhibited by his wise and patient parents.

“Peg knew well the needs of each of her children and guided them to a solution in panicked situations. Her words were usually punctuated with a chuckle as I recall. Owen was an equally skilled parental partner to Peg. He was a career math teacher to middle school students and was known as a very good teacher and a fair disciplinarian. Peg and Owen taught the value of work and responsibility. However, they taught in a way that gave Howard and his siblings a sense of pride, joy, and faith in their efforts, no matter the outcome.”

I asked Paul and Carol Ashbrook for some remarks about Howard and Betsy. Paul said, “Howard was a driving force of the Hope Ride for many years. Teaming with Betsy, they ran the lunch stop and treated thousands of bicyclists like honored guests. Along with Howard and Betsy came an additional 60 volunteers. Howard's gentle nature, good humor, and servant's heart set a good example and leave us with wonderful memories.” Carol added, “Howard was always the wind beneath others' wings. He was never the front man but always an effective participant in all he did. And I really appreciated his humor. He will be greatly missed.”

Jonna Shepherd added some comments about the involvement of Howard and Betsy for the Relay For Life. She said, “Through the Relay For Life, I got to know Howard and Betsy well. Howard's love and commitment to God, his wife, his family, and his community gained my deepest respect. While we took Relay For Life seriously, as fighting cancer is a serious matter, we had a lot of fun. Howard's sense of humor made it even more enjoyable. I'm so grateful of having the opportunity of getting to know the Downeys and the many others involved in such an important cause.”

Music was of utmost importance to Howard as he led the church choir for fifteen years. The service started with Ron Waltz doing a masterful job, even with all his emotions of losing a relative and friend, leading the congregation in the Fellowship Hall with “All Is Well With My Soul” and then ending in a cool but warm in spirit sanctuary with Ron's voice once again helping those gathered in singing “Amazing Grace” after some interesting dance moves paying last respects to Howard as he had requested.

Wonderful food was served by church members and others after Betsy shared her faith by offering a heartfelt blessing. I was somewhat surprised when being helped by Alise Clay Pate who had just buried her son, Sergeant Clayton White. Then again, nothing should be surprising to me by now in being a part of the Hope family for many years. It is just Hope!

Like me, I'm sure there are those who are wondering about the status of Duck Creek Gardens. Betsy and others plan on continuing, one of the best things they can do in honoring the legacy of Howard Owen Downey, and I know we are all pleased to hear that good news!