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John T. Downey  1960

Cullum No. 23183-1960 | June 7, 2011 | Died in Cumming, GA
Interred in Riverview Cemetery, Churubusco, IN


John Thomas ‘Jack’ Downey was born in New Haven, IN, the son of Byron and Walburga Downey. He attended Indiana University for two years before his third try for West Point was a success, entering in 1956. As a cadet, Jack was allergic to the engineering and scientific side of the curriculum, but had a deep interest in literature and the social sciences. His true love was extracurricular activities, and he could usually be found debating, participating in the Cadet Forum, skiing on the nearby Victor Constant slope, or playing bridge with the Cadet Bridge Club. Jack chaired the Debate Council and Forum his First Class year and also participated in Rifle and Track. Jack was always grateful for the education he received at USMA, but was glad to put West Point behind him and join the Infantry upon graduation.

Jack’s first tour at Fort Devens began his appreciation and enjoyment of the Army, which only grew during his 26 years of active duty. A tour with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell in l965 led to his marriage to Clarice Anderson, an Army brat, with whom he shared 46 years of happy married life. Clarice and Jack were blessed with two children: Paul, who predeceased Jack in 1997, and Tina, who lives with her husband, Fernando Perez, and their three children in the Atlanta area. He and Clarice lived in sixteen different houses or apartments during their time in the Army and, as Jack later stated, “She made each our special home.”

After a tour in Vietnam with MACV in 1966-67, Jack became the first battalion commander in the Class of 1960, commanding the Third Battalion, Second Brigade (BCT) at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, in 1968. Jack then entered the Foreign Area Officer Program with a specialty of Thailand. After four years at Smoke Bomb Hill at Fort Bragg and a tour in Thailand, he went to the Army Staff at the Pentagon. Following four years there, where he and classmate Dick Cato influenced major changes in the Officer Promotion System, and a tour at Forces Command in Atlanta, GA, Jack retired from the Army as a colonel in 1986. His awards and decorations included the Combat Infantry Badge, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal with Third Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Air Medal.

After retirement from the Army, Jack and Clarice owned and managed a printing business in Atlanta for several years. They then purchased a motor yacht and lived on the water until they moved ashore to be closer to Clarice’s parents in Clarksville, TN. Following the passing of her parents, Jack and Clarice moved back to the Atlanta area, where they lived until Jack’s death on Jun 7, 2011. Jack is survived by his wife Clarice, his daughter Tina, her husband Fernando Perez, and their children Dominic, Benjamin, and Anderson as well as his sister Ann Fordeck, and brother and sister-in-law Joseph and Mary Lou Downey. He was laid to rest in Churubusco, IN, on Jun 19, 2011.

Jack loved his family and the Army and had what he described as, “An overwhelming and lasting admiration for the non-commissioned officers with whom I served.” He was a valued husband, father, classmate, and fellow Soldier.

Well Done, Jack; Be Thou at Peace.

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