Obituary for James Maxwell Downes

James Maxwell Downes, a resident of Payson from 1998 to 2011, born Dec. 13, 1915 in Terre Haute, Ind., passed peacefully in his sleep on Feb. 8, 2016 in Youngtown, Ariz.  
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Edna; two brothers, Tom and Bob; four sisters, Josephine, Jessie, Nora, and Helen; his first wife, Betty; and a grandson, Christopher. He is survived by his current wife of 60 years, Carol Downes; six children, Jim (wife Kathleen), Edna, Johnny (wife Susan), Cindy (husband Pete), Cathy (husband John), Jeff (wife Monica); 12 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.
Over the course of his 100 years of life, Jim saw and experienced an amazing amount of history — the transition from horse and buggy to automobiles, the invention of television, man walking on the moon, the Internet, and phones that allow you to see who it is you’re talking to.
As a young boy during the Depression, he worked a variety of odd jobs to help support his parents and siblings. Later he served in the Army at Camp Roberts during World War II. After his discharge at the end of the war, he became a long haul truck driver hauling cattle, molasses, hogs, just to name a few; when he stopped driving trucks he became a mechanic and made sure the trucks were in good running order for the other drivers, and then ended his working life as a dispatcher telling the other drivers where to go. However, the two most important jobs he held were those of Husband and Father — and by extension Grandfather, three generations out.
Jim was an amazing storyteller and would bend your ear for hours with the slightest bit of provocation. His memory was incredible, remembering the tiniest of details that allowed the listener to “see” the story unfold.  
Jim was deeply loved and his passing will leave a hole in the hearts of many. He will be laid to rest at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, Calif. at 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Jim’s request was that a donation be made to the Leukemia Society, or a charity of your choosing, in lieu of flowers.