Obituary

Golda King (Kay) Thornley Downs passed away February 6, 2021, age 95 (a month before her 96th birthday). 

In her own words: “I was born on March 18, 1925 in Layton, Utah, a daughter of William John and Harriet Dickson Thornley, the fourth of 6 children. Except for a few years away, I lived in Layton all of my life where I watched Layton grow from a small rural farming community to a big city.  It was also where I loved and was loved by many wonderful people.  I was a graduate of Davis High School and Brigham Young University.  I met my husband, Paul Edwards Downs, thru a mutual friend who owned and operated the Layton Dry Cleaners.  He had a beautiful baritone singing voice and we quickly found we loved to harmonize together.  We were married in Spokane Washington on New Year’s Eve 1951.  He was a Master Sergeant in the US Air Force and we were stationed in 1954 in Tokyo, Japan until his death in 1956. We were later sealed in the Ogden Temple.

I returned from Japan to Layton with my sons Bob and Vance, and taught school in the Davis School District for 31 years, 27 of them at Davis High School.  I have always been a dedicated Davis Dart where I quickly became not only the Pro Schola Advisor, but a loyal Dart sports fan.  Before long I added the Utah Jazz and NFL football to my fan roster as well.  Golfing, bowling, river-running, and camping were my personal sports, I loved working in the yard and being with my neighbors and friends, but most of all I loved being with my family: my sons, grandchildren, great grandchildren, siblings, cousins, in-laws and even out-laws.  One of my favorite pass-times was going to lunch with friends, including my fellow volunteers at Davis Hospital, and anyone I knew who was having a birthday.  I enjoyed going golfing and to the temple weekly with my sister Meg for many years.   My years on earth were full of special life-time friends - my high school friends (especially the Davis High Class of ’42 Reunion Committee), my students and teacher friends at DHS, my Ridgecrest ward “family”, nieces, nephews and other relatives, and my friends at my home in Fairfield Village, Layton. Utah.  As an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I served for a number of years as a Relief Society President to an Assisted Living Center, then the last four years of my life I actually spent living in one.

I am survived by my sons Robert P. Downs (Lori) St. George, Utah, and C. Vance Downs (Louenda) South Ogden, Utah, six grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.  I was preceded in death by my husband Paul, my parents, my brothers John D. (Jack) Thornley and William Dickson (Dick) Thornley, and my sisters Aljoe Martin, Margaret (Meg) Williams, and Marilyn Cue and their spouses.”

Special thanks to the amazing Fairfield Village Assisted Living and Rehab staffs, and Dr. Michael Beus and Dr. Robert L. Mellor.  Special thanks to second cousin Sherri Swan McMillan for her work on Golda’s life history book.

Because of COVID and Golda’s wishes, no public viewing will be held.  A private family memorial service will be held Saturday, February 13, 2021, at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road.

Services will be live-streamed at 11:00 a.m. by going to www.lindquistmortuary.com and scrolling to the bottom of Golda’s obituary page.  The services will also be available to view after the service by scrolling to the bottom of this obituary page.

Interment will be next to her husband, Paul, at the Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California, on Friday February 19, 2021.