Fairy Alice Downs, 93, of Farmington went to be with the Lord Saturday (May 12, 2007). She had currently been residing at Wishing Well Manor in Fairmont.
She was born on the family homestead on Oct. 28, 1913, the daughter of the late Thurman Jay Downs and Stella Dee Dragoo Downs. She continued to live on the farm all of her life until recently going to the Wishing Well Manor.
Fairy was educated in the Marion County schools before obtaining a bachelor's degree in English, public speaking and psychology at West Virginia University; a bachelor's in education at Fairmont State College; and a master's in science and premedicine. Other graduate hours were obtained from Iowa State, Colorado State and Cornell universities.
While at West Virginia University, she was society editor of the Monticola, WVU yearbook, and she sang in the WVU girls Mountaineer Quartette as well as the WVU and Cornell University choruses.
She had advanced courses in speech pathology, otology, human behavior, counseling and guidance, aptitude testing, tests and measurements, agricultural journalism, public relations, statistics, communications, paralegal and real estate. Also while in college, she excelled in photography, basketball, swimming and diving, and was captain of the girls' soccer team.
Her honor educational organizations were Delta Kappa Gamma, Alpha Psi Omega, and Sigma Sigma Sigma sororities. In 1992, she was awarded the Fairmont State College Outstanding Alumni Award.
Fairy taught English, public speaking and art for eight years and was guidance counselor for two years at East Fairmont High School. She also taught psychology at Farmington High School and served as an assistant professor of psychology at Fairmont State College.
Fairy's last 20 years teaching were in the College of Extension and Continuing Education at WVU serving in the capacity as Marion County 4-H agent.
Fairy's greatest contribution, and the one that brought her the most pride, was her fruitful career in teaching and leading the thousands of youth and adult leaders in Marion County 4-H. She developed and maintained one of the largest county 4-H programs in terms of enrollment in West Virginia.
The activities Fairy conducted or were involved in as a 4-H agent were many. She originated the WVU Younger Youth Science Camps, set up one of the first youth opportunity camps in West Virginia, conducted underprivileged youth camps for Elks clubs in northern West Virginia, taught extension homemakers, taught 4-H leadership training courses for the Nations 4-H Agents Association, and attended affirmative action seminars in Washington, D.C.
Fairy received the National Distinguished Service Award for 4-H Club programming. She wrote a 4-H column for the Times West Virginian for many years. She established the Margaret Rexroad Scholarship Fund. She was a leader in the United Way, the Chamber of Commerce, Marion County Senior Citizens, Marion County Historical Society, Daughters of American Colonists, charter member of Marion County League of Women Voters, president of Fairmont Branch of American Association of University Women, YWCA, Soroptimist, Delta Kappa Gamma Society, and was vice president of Fairmont State College Emeritus Club.
Her church was always of great importance. In her younger years, she attended Farmington Methodist Church, teaching adult Sunday School for more than 35 years. For the past several years, she has been a member of Faith United Methodist Church and has been very active participating in and leading Bible study classes.
She loved reading, writing, painting, photography, sports, farming, especially gardening, as well as her pets. Buster, her pet goose, was her special pet. She shared her time and talents with anyone who asked and her life was a tribute to independence and the pursuit of excellence.
Her father, mother, sister Helene, and sister Roxy Bird Downs Dillon, who was dean of women at Fairmont State College, precede Fairy in death.
She is survived by her nephew, David Dillon of San Jose, Calif.; a cousin, Danny Dragoo of Delmont, Pa.; and several other cousins. Special friends and "foster family" of Fairy were Jim and Betty Boyers.
Friends will be received from 3-9 p.m. today and 10-11 a.m. Tuesday at the Carpenter & Ford Funeral Home, 209 Merchant St., Fairmont. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home with the Rev. Roger Waybright officiating. Burial will follow at the Davis Ridge Cemetery at Mill Fall Run. Memorial contributions may be made to Faith United Methodist Church Endowment Fund, 322 Fairmont Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554. Condolences
She was born on the family homestead on Oct. 28, 1913, the daughter of the late Thurman Jay Downs and Stella Dee Dragoo Downs. She continued to live on the farm all of her life until recently going to the Wishing Well Manor.
Fairy was educated in the Marion County schools before obtaining a bachelor's degree in English, public speaking and psychology at West Virginia University; a bachelor's in education at Fairmont State College; and a master's in science and premedicine. Other graduate hours were obtained from Iowa State, Colorado State and Cornell universities.
While at West Virginia University, she was society editor of the Monticola, WVU yearbook, and she sang in the WVU girls Mountaineer Quartette as well as the WVU and Cornell University choruses.
She had advanced courses in speech pathology, otology, human behavior, counseling and guidance, aptitude testing, tests and measurements, agricultural journalism, public relations, statistics, communications, paralegal and real estate. Also while in college, she excelled in photography, basketball, swimming and diving, and was captain of the girls' soccer team.
Her honor educational organizations were Delta Kappa Gamma, Alpha Psi Omega, and Sigma Sigma Sigma sororities. In 1992, she was awarded the Fairmont State College Outstanding Alumni Award.
Fairy taught English, public speaking and art for eight years and was guidance counselor for two years at East Fairmont High School. She also taught psychology at Farmington High School and served as an assistant professor of psychology at Fairmont State College.
Fairy's last 20 years teaching were in the College of Extension and Continuing Education at WVU serving in the capacity as Marion County 4-H agent.
Fairy's greatest contribution, and the one that brought her the most pride, was her fruitful career in teaching and leading the thousands of youth and adult leaders in Marion County 4-H. She developed and maintained one of the largest county 4-H programs in terms of enrollment in West Virginia.
The activities Fairy conducted or were involved in as a 4-H agent were many. She originated the WVU Younger Youth Science Camps, set up one of the first youth opportunity camps in West Virginia, conducted underprivileged youth camps for Elks clubs in northern West Virginia, taught extension homemakers, taught 4-H leadership training courses for the Nations 4-H Agents Association, and attended affirmative action seminars in Washington, D.C.
Fairy received the National Distinguished Service Award for 4-H Club programming. She wrote a 4-H column for the Times West Virginian for many years. She established the Margaret Rexroad Scholarship Fund. She was a leader in the United Way, the Chamber of Commerce, Marion County Senior Citizens, Marion County Historical Society, Daughters of American Colonists, charter member of Marion County League of Women Voters, president of Fairmont Branch of American Association of University Women, YWCA, Soroptimist, Delta Kappa Gamma Society, and was vice president of Fairmont State College Emeritus Club.
Her church was always of great importance. In her younger years, she attended Farmington Methodist Church, teaching adult Sunday School for more than 35 years. For the past several years, she has been a member of Faith United Methodist Church and has been very active participating in and leading Bible study classes.
She loved reading, writing, painting, photography, sports, farming, especially gardening, as well as her pets. Buster, her pet goose, was her special pet. She shared her time and talents with anyone who asked and her life was a tribute to independence and the pursuit of excellence.
Her father, mother, sister Helene, and sister Roxy Bird Downs Dillon, who was dean of women at Fairmont State College, precede Fairy in death.
She is survived by her nephew, David Dillon of San Jose, Calif.; a cousin, Danny Dragoo of Delmont, Pa.; and several other cousins. Special friends and "foster family" of Fairy were Jim and Betty Boyers.
Friends will be received from 3-9 p.m. today and 10-11 a.m. Tuesday at the Carpenter & Ford Funeral Home, 209 Merchant St., Fairmont. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home with the Rev. Roger Waybright officiating. Burial will follow at the Davis Ridge Cemetery at Mill Fall Run. Memorial contributions may be made to Faith United Methodist Church Endowment Fund, 322 Fairmont Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554. Condolences
Fairy Alice Downs, 93, of Farmington went to be with the Lord Saturday (May 12, 2007). She had currently been residing at Wishing Well Manor in Fairmont.
She was born on the family homestead on Oct. 28, 1913, the daughter of the late Thurman Jay Downs and Stella Dee Dragoo Downs. She continued to live on the farm all of her life until recently going to the Wishing Well Manor.
Fairy was educated in the Marion County schools before obtaining a bachelor's degree in English, public speaking and psychology at West Virginia University; a bachelor's in education at Fairmont State College; and a master's in science and premedicine. Other graduate hours were obtained from Iowa State, Colorado State and Cornell universities.
While at West Virginia University, she was society editor of the Monticola, WVU yearbook, and she sang in the WVU girls Mountaineer Quartette as well as the WVU and Cornell University choruses.
She had advanced courses in speech pathology, otology, human behavior, counseling and guidance, aptitude testing, tests and measurements, agricultural journalism, public relations, statistics, communications, paralegal and real estate. Also while in college, she excelled in photography, basketball, swimming and diving, and was captain of the girls' soccer team.
Her honor educational organizations were Delta Kappa Gamma, Alpha Psi Omega, and Sigma Sigma Sigma sororities. In 1992, she was awarded the Fairmont State College Outstanding Alumni Award.
Fairy taught English, public speaking and art for eight years and was guidance counselor for two years at East Fairmont High School. She also taught psychology at Farmington High School and served as an assistant professor of psychology at Fairmont State College.
Fairy's last 20 years teaching were in the College of Extension and Continuing Education at WVU serving in the capacity as Marion County 4-H agent.
Fairy's greatest contribution, and the one that brought her the most pride, was her fruitful career in teaching and leading the thousands of youth and adult leaders in Marion County 4-H. She developed and maintained one of the largest county 4-H programs in terms of enrollment in West Virginia.
The activities Fairy conducted or were involved in as a 4-H agent were many. She originated the WVU Younger Youth Science Camps, set up one of the first youth opportunity camps in West Virginia, conducted underprivileged youth camps for Elks clubs in northern West Virginia, taught extension homemakers, taught 4-H leadership training courses for the Nations 4-H Agents Association, and attended affirmative action seminars in Washington, D.C.
Fairy received the National Distinguished Service Award for 4-H Club programming. She wrote a 4-H column for the Times West Virginian for many years. She established the Margaret Rexroad Scholarship Fund. She was a leader in the United Way, the Chamber of Commerce, Marion County Senior Citizens, Marion County Historical Society, Daughters of American Colonists, charter member of Marion County League of Women Voters, president of Fairmont Branch of American Association of University Women, YWCA, Soroptimist, Delta Kappa Gamma Society, and was vice president of Fairmont State College Emeritus Club.
Her church was always of great importance. In her younger years, she attended Farmington Methodist Church, teaching adult Sunday School for more than 35 years. For the past several years, she has been a member of Faith United Methodist Church and has been very active participating in and leading Bible study classes.
She loved reading, writing, painting, photography, sports, farming, especially gardening, as well as her pets. Buster, her pet goose, was her special pet. She shared her time and talents with anyone who asked and her life was a tribute to independence and the pursuit of excellence.
Her father, mother, sister Helene, and sister Roxy Bird Downs Dillon, who was dean of women at Fairmont State College, precede Fairy in death.
She is survived by her nephew, David Dillon of San Jose, Calif.; a cousin, Danny Dragoo of Delmont, Pa.; and several other cousins. Special friends and "foster family" of Fairy were Jim and Betty Boyers.
Friends will be received from 3-9 p.m. today and 10-11 a.m. Tuesday at the Carpenter & Ford Funeral Home, 209 Merchant St., Fairmont. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home with the Rev. Roger Waybright officiating. Burial will follow at the Davis Ridge Cemetery at Mill Fall Run. Memorial contributions may be made to Faith United Methodist Church Endowment Fund, 322 Fairmont Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554. Condolences
She was born on the family homestead on Oct. 28, 1913, the daughter of the late Thurman Jay Downs and Stella Dee Dragoo Downs. She continued to live on the farm all of her life until recently going to the Wishing Well Manor.
Fairy was educated in the Marion County schools before obtaining a bachelor's degree in English, public speaking and psychology at West Virginia University; a bachelor's in education at Fairmont State College; and a master's in science and premedicine. Other graduate hours were obtained from Iowa State, Colorado State and Cornell universities.
While at West Virginia University, she was society editor of the Monticola, WVU yearbook, and she sang in the WVU girls Mountaineer Quartette as well as the WVU and Cornell University choruses.
She had advanced courses in speech pathology, otology, human behavior, counseling and guidance, aptitude testing, tests and measurements, agricultural journalism, public relations, statistics, communications, paralegal and real estate. Also while in college, she excelled in photography, basketball, swimming and diving, and was captain of the girls' soccer team.
Her honor educational organizations were Delta Kappa Gamma, Alpha Psi Omega, and Sigma Sigma Sigma sororities. In 1992, she was awarded the Fairmont State College Outstanding Alumni Award.
Fairy taught English, public speaking and art for eight years and was guidance counselor for two years at East Fairmont High School. She also taught psychology at Farmington High School and served as an assistant professor of psychology at Fairmont State College.
Fairy's last 20 years teaching were in the College of Extension and Continuing Education at WVU serving in the capacity as Marion County 4-H agent.
Fairy's greatest contribution, and the one that brought her the most pride, was her fruitful career in teaching and leading the thousands of youth and adult leaders in Marion County 4-H. She developed and maintained one of the largest county 4-H programs in terms of enrollment in West Virginia.
The activities Fairy conducted or were involved in as a 4-H agent were many. She originated the WVU Younger Youth Science Camps, set up one of the first youth opportunity camps in West Virginia, conducted underprivileged youth camps for Elks clubs in northern West Virginia, taught extension homemakers, taught 4-H leadership training courses for the Nations 4-H Agents Association, and attended affirmative action seminars in Washington, D.C.
Fairy received the National Distinguished Service Award for 4-H Club programming. She wrote a 4-H column for the Times West Virginian for many years. She established the Margaret Rexroad Scholarship Fund. She was a leader in the United Way, the Chamber of Commerce, Marion County Senior Citizens, Marion County Historical Society, Daughters of American Colonists, charter member of Marion County League of Women Voters, president of Fairmont Branch of American Association of University Women, YWCA, Soroptimist, Delta Kappa Gamma Society, and was vice president of Fairmont State College Emeritus Club.
Her church was always of great importance. In her younger years, she attended Farmington Methodist Church, teaching adult Sunday School for more than 35 years. For the past several years, she has been a member of Faith United Methodist Church and has been very active participating in and leading Bible study classes.
She loved reading, writing, painting, photography, sports, farming, especially gardening, as well as her pets. Buster, her pet goose, was her special pet. She shared her time and talents with anyone who asked and her life was a tribute to independence and the pursuit of excellence.
Her father, mother, sister Helene, and sister Roxy Bird Downs Dillon, who was dean of women at Fairmont State College, precede Fairy in death.
She is survived by her nephew, David Dillon of San Jose, Calif.; a cousin, Danny Dragoo of Delmont, Pa.; and several other cousins. Special friends and "foster family" of Fairy were Jim and Betty Boyers.
Friends will be received from 3-9 p.m. today and 10-11 a.m. Tuesday at the Carpenter & Ford Funeral Home, 209 Merchant St., Fairmont. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home with the Rev. Roger Waybright officiating. Burial will follow at the Davis Ridge Cemetery at Mill Fall Run. Memorial contributions may be made to Faith United Methodist Church Endowment Fund, 322 Fairmont Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554. Condolences
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
