Ed and his wife, Ceil, shared a love of homemade food, the natural world, Boston sports teams, and good music – they had a special fondness for Beethoven and owned an outsized bust of him that accompanied them back and forth to Florida. He was intellectually curious by nature and once said that he knew a little about a lot of things. He liked most people but had trouble liking bankers and insurance salesmen. Ed was kind and generous and gave everyone he met the benefit of the doubt. A great storyteller, Ed found humor in most things, and once you heard his laugh, you would do or say whatever it took to hear it again. He was known for his even temper, calm demeanor, and infectious laugh he often reminded his children that no matter how bad things seemed, there was always someone worse off than you. Ed was a present, engaged, and devoted husband and father. Married for 63 years to Cecelia (Kakowski) Downey of Thomaston, CT. He had a long, successful career with the food brokerage, Morris Alper & Sons, where he won most of the office pools. He was a First Lieutenant in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, and pulled tough duty in Hawaii, San Diego, and Japan he was on a plane on the way to battle when the armistice was signed.

Born under a lucky star, family lore includes many stories of how he won whatever contest in which he was a participant. The son of John and Bertha (Neubert) Downey, Ed grew up in Waterbury, CT he graduated from Crosby High School and Fairfield University.

Downey of Framingham, MA and Naples, FL passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family on March 10, 2022.

David downie fairfield