Nancy F. Downs

Nancy Farnsworth Downs was born on January 1, 1944 (a date she would not recommend because her birthday was always subsumed by college football bowl games) to Richard and Vera Davis Farnsworth in Newport, RI, where her father was stationed with the Coast Artillery. After the war, the Farnsworths moved to Wellsville, NY where Nancy and her younger sister, Kathy, became the 6th generation of their family to grow up in Allegany County. Nancy was a precocious youth and developed early what would be the hallmarks of her personality, a strong will, a “girls can do anything” attitude, and visceral respect for knowledge and learning. Much to her parent's surprise, when Nancy was 3, her dad asked her mom if they should go for I-C-E C-R-E-A-M and Nancy shouted “Cream cone!” Always a voracious learner, Nancy thrived in school, creating an early and tight group of friends, attending a science seminar at Alfred University while in high school, and becoming editor-in-chief for the Owl, her school newspaper. After graduation, she attended Cornell University where she soon met the love of her life and companion until the end, NROTC student, Thomas Downs. Nancy and Tom married on December 23, 1965, and Nancy got her master’s degree in education while Tom served in Vietnam as a Marine Corps rifle platoon leader in 1966-67. When Tom returned safe and sound, they were stationed in Parris Island, SC. In the face of no small amount of derision, Nancy proudly taught at The Mather School, an all-Black, co-ed boarding school in Beaufort, SC, originally founded in 1868 to teach the children of freed enslaved people. The pushback she felt against a young Marine Corps wife choosing to teach Black teens would cement her distaste for the South for years to come.

Their first child, Matt, was born in June 1968, and soon after they left military life behind and moved to Washington State, first to Bellevue and then to Bainbridge Island. In 1974, their daughter Catherine was born. In 1978 Nancy joined the staff at the newly created Island School, teaching in its unique environment and sharing her love of Greek mythology, science, history, and reading with many beloved students, including her daughter, niece, and nephew. After 10 years in private education, she decided she was never too old for a new learning opportunity and enrolled in law school at the University of Puget Sound, graduating in 1991. After passing the bar exam she retired except for occasional pro bono work for local non-profit corporations. She had a chance to re-evaluate her feelings about the South when Cat went away to college in New Orleans. After just a couple of trips, it became a favorite destination for Tom and Nancy, visiting it often as they started a new bi-coastal adventure after Tom’s retirement in 2005. Nancy’s grandfather’s old farm had come up for sale for the first time in 50 years and they decided they would buy it if it was exactly as she remembered it from childhood. They were disappointed that only the drystone cellar remained the same and the idea of splitting time between Bainbridge Island and New York State seemed lost when Tom suggested they could always consider other houses. They found their dream home, on 50 acres in Alfred, NY, a small college town where Nancy had attended graduate school and after that they spent every spring and fall road-tripping back and forth, visiting National Parks, historic sites, family, and friends all over the country. In 2013, one of Nancy’s favorite people, her grandson Taliesin (whose name she suggested) was born and she threw herself into her new role as a grandmother as enthusiastically as she had as mother and teacher. Nancy’s breast cancer diagnosis in 2021 and subsequent treatments got in the way of their cross-country travels, much to her annoyance, and she and Tom were only able to make the trip together once more. Tom took care of her at their home in Port Blakely for the last 3 years but after a series of health failures, Nancy moved into Madrona House this spring where he visited her twice a day, every day. As one of the wonderful healthcare providers told him, it gave him a chance to go back to being her husband rather than her caregiver. Nancy died there, with her sister-in-law, Nancy by her side, on July 11, 2024. 

Nancy may have had only one love of her life in Tom, but there were so many things and people she treasured as well. She lived surrounded by perilous piles of books, jumped with both feet into new hobbies like photography, knitting, and cross-stitching, and never met an arts and crafts supply she couldn’t find a use for. She read deeply across all genres, from highbrow histories to lowbrow mysteries, lately having a serious fondness for Nordic noir. She was an enthusiastic supporter of her son Matt’s extensive travel plans, always making time to help him map his tours and organize his many photos. Her daughter Cat and sister Kathy’s love of quilting meant (willingly) getting roped into many visits to fabric stores and a weeklong applique class in Williamsburg, VA. Tom’s interest in the Civil War instigated visits to battlefields on many of their cross-country expeditions. Her grandson Tal’s ever-changing enthusiasms especially fired up her imagination and sent her shopping for new books on a multitude of subjects nearly every day. Nancy was predeceased by her parents, brother-in-law David Leedy, sister-in-law Margaret Downs, and infant son Joshua. She is survived by her husband Tom, her son Matt, her daughter Cat and son-in-law, Will Hemmings, grandson Tal, sister Kathy and her husband John Teichmoeller, sister-in-law Nancy Leedy, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Her family is so grateful for the excellent end-of-life care she received at Madrona House and from Multicare Home Health and Hospice. We miss you Nance/Mom/Mooma, our hearts and bookshelves will be emptier without you. 

Arrangements entrusted to Cook Family Funeral Home of Bainbridge Island, WA.