- Date Of Birth: June 14, 1921
- Date Of Death: August 17, 2011
- State: Georgia
Clara Angelina Todd Downing, 90, of Toccoa
Mrs. Downing passed away Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011, at Stephens County Hospital in Toccoa following a period of declining health.
Born in Colima, Colima, Mexico in 1921, she was the daughter of Caleb Todd, a pioneer minister’s son, explorer and prolific man of science; and Maria Louisa Urtig Todd, a dentist. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her older brother, Robert Levi Todd, in 1945; and her younger brother, William Henry Todd; as well as her husband, Robert Allen Downing.
Mrs. Downing was a “Rosie the Riveter” during World War II. She worked in an aircraft factory bucking rivets in SBD Navy dive bombers.
In addition, she was a homemaker, mother of eight, “Nanny,” skilled seamstress and insurance clerk.
Mrs. Downing was a gifted seamstress fond of fashioning matching outfits for her children when they were little and, in later years, sewing elaborate vestments for use by the priests at St. Paul.
She settled in northeast Georgia more than 30 years ago to be near her children. She resided in Helen most of that time before moving to The Wilkinson Center in Toccoa in May 2008.
She was affiliated with the Ladies Guild and Altar Guild at St.
Survivors include her sons, Robert Downing of Cleveland, Edward Downing of Alpharetta, James Downing of Amelia, Va., and William Downing of Mesquite, Texas; daughters, Maria Downing of Boulder, Colo., Maggie Downing of Clarkesville, Ginny Loveland of Sautee, and Catherine Downing of Santa Fe, N.M.; 12 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren.
