Abbie Joe Downing Jr.

1937-2015 Abbie Joe Downing, Jr., 78, Wheat Ridge, Colorado passed away on October 18, 2015 after a long illness. He was an FBI agent, lawyer, and a really funny guy. He always said that one of the challenges he always faced in life was learning how, as a male, to live with the first name Abbie. Joe was born on October 7, 1937, in Wichita Falls, TX. Soon thereafter, he moved to Seymour, TX, where he met his future wife, Janay, while attending first and second grade together. They later reconnected at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and, soon thereafter, married. When Joe was eight years old, he and his parents moved from Seymour, TX, to Carlsbad, NM, where his father owned a drug store. Joe worked there as a soda jerk until he was seventeen. He also worked several summers during high school as a seasonal Park Ranger at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. After graduating from high school in 1955, Joe attended New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, NM. He later continued his studies with an ROTC scholarship at SMU in Dallas, TX. While at SMU, he met Janay. They were married in 1960. After SMU, they moved to Waco, TX, where Joe attended—and later graduated—from Baylor Law School. From there, they moved to Abilene, TX, where Joe was the town’s Assistant City Attorney. In 1964, Joe began training in Quantico for his career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was assigned as a Special Agent first in Seattle, WA and later in Los Angeles. In 1968, Joe and Janay moved to Denver where Joe accepted an offer to work as a labor negotiator at Mountain States Employers Council (MSEC). At MSEC, he represented employers—mostly mining companies across the United States—in labor negotiations. He retired from MSEC in 1996 and became a labor law consultant. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Dr. Janay Young Downing; daughter Jonlon Bankert and son-in-law Doug; son Dr. Joe Downing and fiancée Dr. Verónica Calvillo; and grandchildren Diersen and Annika Bankert. He was predeceased by his grandparents, parents, father-in-law and mother-in-law. His personal pursuits included telling jokes and stories, playing golf, fishing, cooking Mexican food, watching sports, and spending time with his family. He was a long-time member of the Applewood Valley United Methodist Church (AVUMC). Also, he was very active in the Applewood Kiwanis Club where he loved selling hot dogs at the cemetery. Please join his family and many friends for his celebration of life service on November 21, 2015 at 11:00 AM at Applewood Valley United Methodist Church (AVUMC), 2035 Ellis St, Golden, CO 80401. A church lunch will follow. Those wishing to honor Joe are encouraged to send a donation to the Joe Downing Memorial Fund at AVUMC. The money will be used to underwrite a spring 2016 concert at the church.