Patterson Cemetery District 
Obits listing for 2009

Submitted by Gale Stroud 11 Aug 2009

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit 
or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations 
desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain 
the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of 
the submitter.


Patterson Irrigator, 09/10/2008, p 8
 
Saxon Lord Downs
08/28/1914 � 09/04/2008
Service will be Friday for Saxon Lord Downs of Modesto, who died Thursday at 
Bethel Assisted Living in Modesto.
Mr. Downs, 94, a native of Ysleta, Texas, was the ninth and last surviving child 
of Oscar and Janie Downs. Before moving to Modesto in 1946, he lived in El Paso, 
Texas, and Redwood City. He was a partner in Franklin and Downs Funeral Home in 
Modesto.
Mr. Downs married his wife, Merle, in 1942 before serving in World War II in the 
U.S. Navy with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Mr. Downs was a member of the Modesto Lions Club and Masonic Order, which 
includes the Masonic Luncheon Club. He was a charter member of the Modesto 
Racquet Club and the Del Rio Country Club. He enjoyed traveling with his wife 
and spending time at a cabin in Pinecrest with his family. Mr. Downs also liked 
playing golf at Del Rio and playing gin with his �gin club� buddies.
Mr. Downs is survived by his wife of 66 years, Merle Downs; son, Douglas Downs, 
and his wife, Johanna; daughters, former Patterson resident Jane Taylor, and her 
husband, Mark, Judi Downing, and her husband, Buck, and Jennifer Downs-Colby, 
all of Modesto; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and many other 
family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his siblings; two great-grandchildren; and a nephew.
Friday�s services will begin at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 850 
16th St., in Modesto. Visitation will be observed from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday at 
Franklin and Downs McHenry Chapel, 1050 McHenry Ave., in Modesto.
Memorial contributions in Mr. Downs� name may be sent to Community Hospice, 4368 
Spyres Way, Modesto 95356; United Methodist Church, 850 16th St., Modesto 95354; 
or Memorial Medical Center, 1329 Spanos Court, Ste. C-2, Modesto 95355.