Mary Rita Downs

Mary Rita (Gadway) Downs BURLINGTON, VT. - Mary Rita (Gadway) Downs, 75, of Plattsburgh and Chateaugay Lake died following a sudden illness Monday, July 25, 2011, at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington with her family by her side. She was born Feb. 16, 1936, in Merrill, the daughter of Archibald (Archie) and Mary "Molly" (Tagan) Gadway. Mrs. Downs was a student of her mother's in the one-room school house in Merrill. She graduated from Notre Dame in Malone in 1954 and the College of St. Rose in Albany in 1958 with a degree in education. She married John R. Downs Nov. 19, 1960, at St. Bernard's Church, Lyon Mountain. For many years, they divided their time between his family home on Downs Road on Burnt Hill in Saranac and her family home on Chateaugay Lake. Mrs. Downs taught English briefly at Beekmantown Central School before taking time off to raise a family. In 1965, she earned a master's in education at Plattsburgh State. She returned to teaching in 1970, joining the English faculty at Peru High School. She retired in 1995 after 25 years of service. A lifelong equestrian, Mrs. Downs competed as a young girl and adult in horse shows throughout the North Country. For many years, she managed Greenwood Riding Stables on Gadway Road on Chateaugay Lake. She taught legions of children how to ride. In later years, she especially enjoyed riding with her four children and three granddaughters and was riding her beloved horse, Firefly, only days before her death. She loved berry picking, especially hunting for wild blueberries, on Chateaugay Lake and was known for her homemade pies. Mrs. Downs loved to travel and together with her husband visited Mexico many times, Australia and New Zealand, South America, the Caribbean, Ireland, England, Italy, Russia and Eastern Europe. She worked for many years with the nursing home ombudsman program with the North Country Center for Independence and was a volunteer for Hospice of the North Country. A summer resident at her home on Chateaugay Lake, she was a communicant of St. Bernard's Church and of St. Peter's Church in Plattsburgh during the winter months. Formerly a resident of Burnt Hill in Saranac, she had previously been a member of St. James Minor Church in Cadyville, where she had served as a lector for many years. An avid reader, Mrs. Downs was never without at least one novel going at a time. She loved mysteries, detective and espionage novels. Later in life, she began to revisit her love of writing poetry, having taken a course at Plattsburgh State during the spring 2011 semester. One of her poems was published in the college literary journal, "Z Platt." She had also written a young adult novel that she had hoped to one day publish. In addition to her husband of more than 50 years, she is survived by three sons and two daughters-in-law: Jack and Gerianne Downs of Plattsburgh, Matthew and Kristen Downs, also of Plattsburgh, and Thomas Downs of Chateaugay Lake; a daughter, Kate Downs of Morrisonville; three granddaughters, Margaret, Patricia and Brigid Downs of Plattsburgh; brother- and sister-in-law Daniel and Marion Downs of Plattsburgh; sister-in-law Ann Downs of Saranac; and a special cousin, Ann Witkiewicz and her husband, Robert, of Plattsburgh and Chazy Lake. Calling hours will be held 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Brown Funeral Home, 29 Broad St., Plattsburgh. A Mass of Christian burial will be held 10 a.m. Monday at St. Peter's Church in Plattsburgh with a reception to follow in the Emmaus Room. Burial will follow in St. Bernard's Cemetery, Lyon Mountain. Memorial donations may be made to Child Fund International, 2821 Emerywood Parkway, Richmond, Va., 23294 or the North Country Center for Independence, 80 Sharron Ave., Plattsburgh, N.Y., 12901. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Brown Funeral Home, 29 Broad Street, Plattsburgh. (518) 561-3980. Online condolences and memorial candles may be offered at www.brownfuneralhomeinc.com.