Person:Charles Downey (2)

Charles Leister Downey was the third son in a family of four boys. His middle name was for Dr. William L. Leister of Oakland City, Indiana, who delivered him on November 22, 1911. He grew up in the small town of Francisco, Indiana, in Patoka Township in Gibson County in southern Indiana. Their house had three rooms, a back porch, and a cellar for the family of 6.

One time Leister (7 or 8 years old) went with his brother Raymond (17 or 18 years old) to Princeton in the Roadster (soft top, one seat, trunk on back taken off to carry things for the restaurant. They got two 5-gal. tubs of ice cream packed in wooden barrel with ice, 1 or 2 cakes of ice, and 2 boxes of bread. It started to rain (side curtains only on driver's side) so Leister had to huddle in a blanket.

He received a high school diploma from Francisco High School April 21, 1933. From his yearbook, "Leister Downey - We can't hand him a slam. Professor Pepp, A Doll's House." He moved on to Indianapolis, Indiana, to work for Continental Bakery. There he met his wife, Eloise Beery. They married July 24, 1938 in Westfield, Indiana, where Eloise was raised.

Charles and Eloise moved to Bluffton, Indiana, in Wells County, where both of their sons were born. They first lived in an apartment in Bluffton in 1939. Then they rented a house, and in 1940 bought a house for $1,800 on Williams Street in Bluffton. The oak timbers in the house were native to the woods near the house. It was sold for $9,800 in 1947, when they bought a house in Waynedale, Indiana, near Fort Wayne.

In 1948, they bought "John's Place," an existing grocery store on the southeast side of Fort Wayne. They had a house built on the premises in 5 weeks, doing much of the work themselves. They ran the grocery store for many years. They even had their own trading stamps. On April 25, 1954, they sold the contents of Downey's Market at public auction.

They leased the building to the RCA Service Company. Charles went to work for Indland Oils in Waynedale as an accountant. They were members of Waynedale United Methodist Church. He belonged to Three Rivers Lodge 733 F&AM and the Scottish Rite. He was also a beekeeper, selling honey and beeswax candles. He served as president of the Northeastern Indiana Beekeepers Association

He was 73 years old when he died February 3, 1985, at his home.

Charles with brothers, Everett & Raymond

1.   Birth Certificate
   H-13, p. 40, 24 Nov 1911.
2.   Certificate of Baptism.
3.   Death Certificate
   4 Feb 1985.