Joy Downing

Joy Ardelle Downing, 85, of Adair, Iowa, passed away Saturday, June 10, 2017, at the Community Care Center in Stuart, Iowa.

She was the oldest child of Richard Murray Maas and Rose Robison Maas, born March 4, 1932, on the family farm eight miles southeast of Wiota, Iowa. She attended rural Cass County schools, graduating eighth grade from Lincoln Township No. 9, then started high school at Wiota Consolidated in 1946, moving to Adair that winter upon her parents’ divorce. Joy graduated as Class President and Salutatorian from Adair High School with the class of 1950.

Joy Maas and Daryl Downing were married in Bentonville, Arkansas, on January 3, 1951, observing their golden anniversary on January 3, 2001. Two children, Kent and Debra, were born to this union.

Joy worked at the Tower Inn Café in Adair and the Atlantic News Telegraph in the early 1950s. Later, she was employed at the Adair Bowl Restaurant, Mertes Insurance Agency and the Adair-Casey Schools retiring from the school in 1997 after 27 years employment there.

She was baptized at the Wiota Methodist Church as a child and was a member of the Adair United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Daryl, in 2002; her parents, Rose Soper in 1980 and Richard Maas in 1983; her step-father, Glen Soper in 1974; her brother, Jerry Maas in 1983; her sister, Peggy Downing in 1994; step-brother, Gerald (Bud) Soper in 2015; and brothers-in-law, Bob, Clair and Pat Downing.

Joy is survived by her son, Kent and wife, Deborah of Anita, Iowa, and children, Shanon (Austin) Menard of West Des Moines, Iowa, and Kandis (Johnny) Angelo of Saint Paul, Minnesota; her daughter, Debra Gettler and husband Kenneth of Adair, and children Aaron Gettler of Hartford, Iowa, Sarah Gettler of Clive, Iowa, Josef (Hilary) Gettler of Fontanelle, Iowa; great-grandchildren, Gauge and Gemma Menard, Grady Gettler and Truman Angelo; step-great-grandchild, Jack Angelo; step-sister, Shirley (Delbert) Hughes of Panora, Iowa; step-sister-in-law, Donna Soper of Adair, Iowa; sister-in-law, Joan Maas of Adair, Iowa; nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

Visitation with the family will be from 1:00 p.m. until the time of the funeral at 2:30 p.m., Saturday, June 17, 2017, at the Adair United Methodist Church in Adair. Burial will be in the Sunnyhill Cemetery in Adair.

In lieu of flowers, the family strongly requests memorials to the Adair United Methodist Church in Adair, in memory of Joy.