SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A man whose life has been defined by service, to his country, his community, and his fellow veterans, will lead this year’s Eagle Media Patriots Parade in downtown Hutchinson on Friday, July 4.
Lowell Downey, a U.S. Air Force veteran and longtime advocate for the Kansas Honor Flight program, has been named Grand Marshal for the Independence Day celebration.
“I am looking forward to it,” Downey said. “Both my wife and I are excited about it.”
Downey has called Hutchinson home since 1987. Today, he resides at The Wesley retirement community, where he received the call with the invitation to serve as Grand Marshal.
“Our director of marketing at The Wesley gave me a call and asked if I would do it,” he said. “I’ve lived in Hutch a long time, I’m pretty much a permanent resident, so it means a lot to be part of something like this.”
Downey is best known for his work with the Kansas Honor Flight program, which has taken more than 4,000 Kansas veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the war memorials built in their honor. He helped found the Hutchinson-based chapter in 2012 after discovering financial mismanagement at a previous organization. Since then, he’s become the central organizer of the local flight program, handling everything from veteran applications to trip logistics and fundraising.
To date, Kansas Honor Flight has completed 103 flights. Downey has personally attended 34 of them.
“It’s very rewarding,” Downey said. “When we started, we took World War II veterans, many of whom had never flown before. To watch them see the memorials for the first time was incredibly emotional.”
He recalled trips to the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, where veterans stood in awe of the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
“Some of the veterans would say, ‘That airplane probably saved my life,’ because they were scheduled to be part of the invasion of Japan,” he said.
Today, the Honor Flight focus has shifted to Vietnam veterans, many of whom were never properly welcomed home.
“Vietnam veterans were treated terribly when they returned,” Downey said. “They didn’t get closure. Taking them to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, letting them see the names on the wall, it brings that closure. You can see the emotion. It’s powerful.”
Downey served in the U.S. Air Force and later in the Air National Guard during the early 1960s, between the Korean and Vietnam wars. His service kept him stateside, where he worked as a machinist and aircraft maintenance specialist in Nebraska and Iowa.
“I met a lot of good people,” Downey said. “We just worked hard to keep airplanes flying.”
Downey’s leadership extends beyond military service. After spending 27 years in the fertilizer industry, he joined Collingwood Grain in Hutchinson in 1987. He was named president of the company following its acquisition by Archer Daniels Midland Corporation, serving in that role for 13 years until retiring at the end of 2002.
Following his official retirement, he continued working as a fertilizer broker and later consulted on a proposed fertilizer plant in Idaho.
Even in retirement, Downey remained devoted to service. He and his first wife were early volunteers for Kansas Honor Flight, serving as guardians on several of the organization’s earliest trips. After his wife passed away in 2017, Downey eventually moved into a duplex at The Wesley, where a new chapter of life quietly began.
“There was this charming lady who lived on the other side,” he said. “She brought me cookies from time to time. Long story short, we were married in 2019 and have been married six years. She’s been on one flight with me.”
Today, Downey helps coordinate four honor flights each year, now via chartered aircraft. Each flight includes around 100 veterans and a carefully planned support team, with stops at Arlington National Cemetery, the war memorials on the National Mall, and various museums.
“It takes a lot of planning, but it’s worth every second,” Downey said. “These trips change people’s lives.”
The Patriots Parade begins at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 4, in downtown Hutchinson. For Downey, leading the celebration is a reflection not only of his military and professional achievements, but of a lifetime spent giving back to the community he now calls home.
Click here to listen to Downey on how rewarding the Kansas Honor Flights are.