Elizabeth Louise (Betsey) Downing died peacefully at Hospice House in Hutchinson, KS, on Saturday, September 7, 2024. Her husband Dan and stepdaughter, Abby Epp, were at her side and holding her hands as she took her final breath after a brief, but valiant struggle with ALS.
Betsey was the most caring and lovingly kind person ever to grace this planet. Not only did she care about her family and close friends, but her heart went out to anyone who needed a little bit of love to brighten their day. She had dear friends around the globe from Japan to Beijing to Singapore to Great Britain and kept in touch with them often. She was the kind of friend who after months or even years of being apart would come back together with you as if it were yesterday, never missing a beat.
Betsey loved rocks, hiking, trees, flowers, geography, travel, great music, and art. She was particularly fond of Asian art. This was evident in her remarkable decorating skills which most always had a slight Asian bent. People often wondered what storehouse she had to keep all the things she used in making her home the inviting and interesting place that it was. In actuality, it just seemed that way. She rearranged things almost daily!
As a volunteer, Betsey served as a docent at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and The Living Desert in Palm Desert, CA. She was particularly proud of a project that she and her good friend Ellen Bauder founded 12 years ago to raise money to help feed and clothe an underserved community of displaced Maya people in Alamosa, Colorado.
Betsey loved to travel. Her curiosity took her to parts of the world that many only dreamed of traveling with her mother, husband, children, and, on occasion, just by herself. She was especially fond of the American Southwest.
Over the years she lived in Seattle, Germany, New York, Indianapolis, Orcas Island, WA, Palm Desert, CA, Tesuque, NM, Salida/Buena Vista, CO, and Willowbrook, a small community near Hutchinson, KS.
Betsey was born February 24, 1933, in Seattle, WA, to Win and Viola Bird both of whom were on the faculty at the University of Washington. She graduated from Roosevelt High School and the University of Washington. She was preceded in death by: her parents; sister Marilyn Valentine; daughter Susan; and grandson, Ryan. She is survived by: her husband Dan; daughter Linda Soukup of Colorado Springs; son Christopher Turman (Tracy) of Bellevue, WA; stepchildren, Abby Epp and Isaac Downing; grandchildren, Evan and Tyler Turman, Ben Soukup, Avery, Brecken, and Chase Epp, Brock, Brody, and Taylee Downing; nieces Kathie Price and Patti Campbell (Tim) and their children Kristen, Sarah, Angie, Kasey and Corey.
At Betsey’s request there will be no service. Memorials are suggested to Hospice and HomeCare of Reno County in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main St, Hutchinson, KS, 65701. Or better yet, if there is something you would like to do in her honor, do this: Betsey was the kindest, most caring, and empathetic person I have ever known. So do an extra kindness for someone in her honor: for your spouse, one of your kids or grandkids, a neighbor, or even someone completely random. Just a small kindness of some sort. She will smile.