Loretta M. Downing

Loretta Margaret Downing, 81, Atchison, Kansas, died Monday, May 30, 2016 at the Atchison Hospital.

Funeral services will be Saturday, June 4, 2016 at 11:00 AM at Shiloh Baptist Church with Rev. Timothy Wolfe officiating. Burial will follow in the Oak Hill Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be Friday, June 3, at Shiloh Baptist Church from 6-7:00 PM. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Shiloh Baptist Church and may be left in care of the Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home with whom the final arrangements have been entrusted.

Loretta was born on May 22, 1935, in Atchison, Kansas the daughter of Mary Cluke and Guy Kelley, Sr. She attended Lincoln School and graduated from Atchison High School.

She and Richard Wayne Downing were united in marriage in Atchison, Kansas. Mr. Downing preceded her in death on September 20, 1989.

Loretta was a proud grandmother and enjoyed taking care of her grandchildren and spending time with her family. She worked at NEK Head Start for thirteen years and retired in May of 2014.

She was a member of Shiloh Baptist Church in Atchison.

Survivors include two sons, David W. (Jeffrey) Downing, Sr., Topeka, KS, Richard W. Downing, Jr., Atchison, KS, two daughters, Valerie L. Ford, Atchison, KS, Loreeta R. Downing, Kansas City, MO, three brothers, Marion "Bud" Kelley, Sr., George (Rita) Kelley, Sr., Otha "Dude" (Anna) Kelley, all of Atchison, one sister, Viola Lewis, Detroit, MI, fourteen grandchildren, eighteen great grandchildren and one great-great grandson.

She was preceded in death by her husband, a daughter, Ladonna Downing, a son, Greg M. Downing, four brothers, Guy Kelley, Jr., James Louis Kelley, Sr., William Henry Kelley, Michael McNair, and three sisters, Sylvia Busey, Ethel Downing, and Elnora Garlington.