Gerald Henry "Jay" Downey

Gerald Henry "Jay" Downey passed into the arms of his Savior in Akron, Ohio on April 3rd, 2025.

He was the son of Gale Downey Sr. & Mabel (Scherbarth) Downey born on November 9th, 1936, in Akron Ohio.

He is survived by his wife Joyce (nee Wahn-Buso) Downey of 13 years and preceded in death by his wife Jan (nee Eicher) Downey of 53 years.

Predeceased by his parents, his brother Gale Jr., his sister Edith Ann, daughter-in-law, Leslie Downey.

He is survived and deeply missed by his children, Colleen (Pat) Fox, Scott (Brenda) Downey, Arlene (Scott) Schultheis, Brian (Andrea) Downey, 8 grandchildren (Courtney, Brian, Emily, Thomas, Abbie, Samantha, Andy and Parker) and 4 great grandchildren (Liam, Uriah, Leia, Elijah) with one expected in June. Also, he is survived by his brother Phillip (Connie) and many nieces' nephews, cousins, and friends. As well as Joyce’s family, which includes her 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Jay was born during the great depression and grew up in the "Goosetown" neighborhood of Akron during WW II and graduated from South High School in 1954. He was a proud and active member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Akron. He attended Wittenberg College with intentions of being in the clergy. He was drafted and served his country in the US Army in Peacetime Germany. On his return to Akron, following his discharge, he married Jan to start their family, and they did. He was a loyal and dedicated employee of Goodyear Tire & Rubber for over 30 years in Akron in retail and in general accounting. Jay took great pride in raising his family in Brimfield, OH. He enjoyed singing in the Goodyear Singers group and being a member of many church choirs. While serving many small churches, he was a faithful servant at Faith Lutheran Church in Kent and later joined Tallmadge Lutheran Church. He also served many years, volunteering and organizing with the Portage County Republican Party. Everything he did was with dedication and commitment.

He raised his family with traditional American values, that stood for God, Country, Family, and treating everyone with the same dignity and respect you would expect yourself. He enjoyed teaching his grandchildren the same values and took great pride in sharing family lore and his years of wisdom. He enjoyed teaching each of them to drive and most of all enjoyed sharing his sense of humor. He took great pride in leading his family. He was a man of many words and had a profound way of being tough but loving. On top of being a dedicated and loving husband, his ultimate legacy includes leaving his family with a deep understanding and love for Christianity.

His adult lifetime hobby was researching his family's genealogy. He built an incredible network of information that tracked his family origins back to William Penn. The information revealed and shared was profound. It goes without saying, one of his many passions included faithfully following the Cleveland Indians. He also umpired local youth baseball for many years.

Later in life he enjoyed the fellowship and bonds of his friends at Concordia at Sumner in Copley where he was loved and cared for deeply by his wife Joyce and staff. We are left to mourn for him on earth until we are together again.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Copley EMS or Tallmadge Lutheran Church.

Family and friends are invited to visit Wednesday, April 9, 2025 from 10 to 11 a.m. at Tallmadge Lutheran Church, 759 East Ave. in Tallmadge. The funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. at the church.

To share a memory of Jay or leave a special message for his family, visit the guest book below.