Person:Lavonia Isbell (1)

About Lovonia (Skeet)Ida Isbell

adopted parents: Family:George Bradley and Connie Isbell (1)) When Skeet, her mother died at the age of 10 she went to live with her sister Connie and her brother-in-law George Bradley they took her and rasied her as their on daughter and was always just a sister to George and Connie's children..she counted George and Connie as her Mom and Dad and they where grandparents to her children.....in 1994 when George was on his death bed and he was telling each of his children how he loved them he told Skeet you have made me a wonderful daughter. She was my oldest sister and I loved her very much and miss her greatly....She died in St. Mary's hospital Oct 1998 of a lung detiration. She was 5'8" weight 160 pounds..

SHE HAD ARTIRIES AND LOW BLOOD PREAUSRE

HEIG 5 ft. 5 in. WEIG 150 lb. 0 oz.

Lovonia better known as Skeet( she was nicknamed Skeet by her dad when she was taken on a fishing trip at 6 months old and was bitten by so many Mosquitoes her dad call her Skeet) and the nickname stuck with he the rest of her life she was always Skeet to her family and friends....Skeet mother died just a few days after her 10th Birthday..She came to live with her Sister Connie and Brother-in-law George Bradley and from that day on she was their daughter and if you every wanted to get George or any of the family ralled up just try to say Skeet was not George's Daughter....Upon his death bed some 61 years later he told her what a fine daughter she had been to him....She was a great sister to Leveta, Gene, and Donald...She married Ralph (Rabbit) Downing 9 Feb 1946 they were married 52 years 8 monthe and 19 days when she died at St. Mary's Hospital in Evansville, Indiana on 28 Oct 1998 at 7:30 P.M. of Viral Pneumonia,

Skeet was a good daughter, a good sister, a good wife, a good mother and a good grandmother..she love her family and care for everyone esle...she never drank alcohol, never took the Lord's name in vain, she used no profanity, was always honest in all her dealing in life. She was loved by her family....She raised 3 sons Ralph Wayne, Larry Dale, Bradley Keith, and her oldest grandson Michal Wayne he was just her 4th son....at the time of her death she had 5 more grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren...during World War II she worked at the Parachute Factory in Madisonville, she and Ralph (Rabbit) were engaged to be married when he was drafted into the army in World War II, she work and save her money and when he came back she has bought and paid for a nice bedroom suit and a living room suit, and had some money saved for them to get started on... then when she married she became a full time wife and mother, She was like a mother hen about her children and also those she care about...you did not come against any of her family without having to deal with her..she did not quit loving you if you made a mistake...she always cared... notes by her Brother Donald Bradley

Obit

Madisonville Messenger, Oct 30, 1998

• Madisonville, Hopkins, Kentucky, United States

Lavonia I. 'Skeet' Downing

Boonville, Ind. Lavonia I 'Skeet' Downing, 75, of Boonville, died at 7:19 p.m. Wednesday Oct 28, 1998, at St. Mary's Medical Center in Evansville, Ind., after suffering a brief illness.

She was a member of the Pentecostal faith.

She is survi8ved by her husband of 52 years, Ralph "Rabbit" Downing of Boonville; four sons, Ralph Wayne Downing, Brad Downing, Michael Downing all of Boonville, and Larry Downing of Paducah, Ky.; one sister Leveta Lovelady of Hopkinsville, Ky.; and one brother, Donald Bradley of Madisonville, Ky.; five grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Services will be 3 p.m. Saturday at Koehler Funeral Home-Boonville Chapel, with the Rev. Ronald Hendricks officiating. Burial will be in Maple Grove Cemetery in Boonville.

Friends may call from 2 until 8 p.m. today adn 9 a.m. until service time Saturday at the funeral home.

Skeet's last Address

• Address 1: 415 NORTH 4TH STREET
• City: BOONVILLE
• State: INDIANA
• Country: WARWICK

Funeral Home Record

• Deceased Name (maiden): DOWNING, LAVONIA I
• Address: BOONVILLE, INDIANA
• Date of Death: Wednesday, October 28, 1998
• Obituary Date:
• Cause of Death: PNEUMONIA
• Place of Death: ST MARYS MED CENTER EVANSVILLE, IN. PNEUMONIA
• Age: 75
• Minister: REV. RONNIE HENDRICKS MADISONVILLE, KENTUCKY
• Church: PENTECOSTAL
• Cemetery: MAPLE GROVE
• Funeral Home: KOEHLER
• Veteran:
• Occupation:
• Activities:
• Comments:

• Relative Type Location Comments
  • • • 4 GREAT GRANDCHILD
    • BOOR, LESLIE________GRANDDAUGHTER_____LESLIE BOOR
      • • BRADLEY, DONALD___BROTHER___________DONALD BRADLEY OF MADISONVILLE KY
    • DOWNING, KELLY______GRANDDAUGHTER_____KELLY DOWNING
    • DOWNING, JEANNIE____GRANDDAUGHTER_____JEANNIE DOWNING
    • DOWNING, WAYNE______GRANDSON__________WAYNE DOWNING
• DOWNING, RALPH________HUSBAND___________RALPH DOWNING MARRIED 52 YRS
  • DOWNING, RALPH WAYNE_SON_______________RALPH WAYNE DOWNING
  • DOWNING, BRAD________SON_______________BRAD DOWNING
  • DOWNING, MICHAEL_____SON_______________MICHAEL DOWNING ALL BOONVILLE
  • DOWNING, LARRY_______SON_______________LARRY DOWNING OF PADUCAH KY
    • • • LOVELADY, LEVETA__SISTER____________LEVETA LOVELADY OF HOPKINSVILLE KY
    • VOLZ, SHELLY________GRANDDAUGHTER_____SHELLY VOLZ

Burial

31 Oct 1998 Maple Grove Cemetery; Saturday October 31, 1998; ___________________________________________________________

1.   Donald Lloyd Bradley.

   Brother to Lavonia Ida (Skeet) Isbell