Jonathan H. Downing Obituary

Rattlesnake Gal · 01-19-2022, 08:17 AM

I searched and could not find any posts about Jon passing away.

He was a friend, neighbor and a huge supporter of Lake Winnipesaukee and Alton Bay. He loved sharing the history of the lake on Facebook. Loved visiting their property at Rattlesnake Island with his wife, Nancy and their various dogs. He was especially proud of his lovely Donzi. He will be missed. Cheers, Jon

Jonathan H Downing

December 8, 1944 - December 15, 2021

Obituary

A life well lived

Jonathan H. Downing passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at the age of 77 years after a courageous battle with cancer. He gave cancer a run for its money like only a Downing could.

A former Navy Seabee, licensed Architect, artist, entrepreneur, Alton Town Selectman, Levey park trustee, Parks and Recreation Commissioner and devoted member of the Alton Bay Community.

Jonathan enjoyed most spending time with his family and grandchildren (known to them as ‘Papa’) while boating in his Donzi on Lake Winnipesaukee and skiing the white mountains of N.H. He loved to travel and lived life to the fullest. If you were one of the lucky ones, he skunked you in a game of cribbage, raced you down the slopes and crushed you in a game of ping-pong.

He will be missed dearly by his devoted wife of 28 years, Nancy Stockman Downing; children, Jennifer Downing Mlinac and husband Matthew, Jocelyn Downing Robertson and husband Bryan, Julie Downing Monteiro and husband Dave, Megan Moulton Elder and husband Nelson, and Jillian Moulton; grandchildren, Leighton, Theron, Jace, Cameron, Ella, Brayden and Marshall; beloved Zoey and grand pup Z; as well as numerous extended family members and friends.

A graveside service is planned for the family and public on Friday, December 17th, 2021 at 10:00 AM at the Old Riverside Cemetery in Alton, NH.

Charitable donations can be made on his behalf to the Town of Alton Water Bandstand Escrow Account (P.O. Box 659, Alton, NH 03809 or for electronic donations, please contact the daughters) to support the preservation and enjoyment of the water bandstand in Alton Bay.

Cheers to you, cheers to me… please raise that martini glass in honor of Jonathan

bwolfe · 01-19-2022, 11:27 AM

I always enjoyed his posts about history of the area!

Loventhelake · 01-19-2022, 12:04 PM

Thank you for posting.

Jon was my cousin and will be sorely missed!

I worked for Jon and Nancy in the late 80’s early 90’s with my brother on the big blue barge on the lake “Barge Marine works” doing many break waters and a fun project at the “Castle” on Sleepers island. Definitely a job that kept you in shape and got to enjoy the scenery on the lake every day of the summer!!

Jon was also a very talented architect, building and designing numerous homes around the lake and NH .
His unique design stood out from all other houses for sure.

His last business included Downing’s landing, now fish and game where I also worked pumping gas for my uncles in the mid 80’s.

The Downing family has a lot of history in Alton Bay and Jon was a big part of keeping things alive in Alton Bay .

01-19-2022, 08:17 AM	#1
Rattlesnake Gal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Central NH Posts: 5,252 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 1,447 Thanked 1,349 Times in 475 Posts	Jonathan H. Downing Obituary I searched and could not find any posts about Jon passing away. He was a friend, neighbor and a huge supporter of Lake Winnipesaukee and Alton Bay. He loved sharing the history of the lake on Facebook. Loved visiting their property at Rattlesnake Island with his wife, Nancy and their various dogs. He was especially proud of his lovely Donzi. He will be missed. Cheers, Jon Jonathan H Downing December 8, 1944 - December 15, 2021 Obituary A life well lived Jonathan H. Downing passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at the age of 77 years after a courageous battle with cancer. He gave cancer a run for its money like only a Downing could. A former Navy Seabee, licensed Architect, artist, entrepreneur, Alton Town Selectman, Levey park trustee, Parks and Recreation Commissioner and devoted member of the Alton Bay Community. Jonathan enjoyed most spending time with his family and grandchildren (known to them as ‘Papa’) while boating in his Donzi on Lake Winnipesaukee and skiing the white mountains of N.H. He loved to travel and lived life to the fullest. If you were one of the lucky ones, he skunked you in a game of cribbage, raced you down the slopes and crushed you in a game of ping-pong. He will be missed dearly by his devoted wife of 28 years, Nancy Stockman Downing; children, Jennifer Downing Mlinac and husband Matthew, Jocelyn Downing Robertson and husband Bryan, Julie Downing Monteiro and husband Dave, Megan Moulton Elder and husband Nelson, and Jillian Moulton; grandchildren, Leighton, Theron, Jace, Cameron, Ella, Brayden and Marshall; beloved Zoey and grand pup Z; as well as numerous extended family members and friends. A graveside service is planned for the family and public on Friday, December 17th, 2021 at 10:00 AM at the Old Riverside Cemetery in Alton, NH. Charitable donations can be made on his behalf to the Town of Alton Water Bandstand Escrow Account (P.O. Box 659, Alton, NH 03809 or for electronic donations, please contact the daughters) to support the preservation and enjoyment of the water bandstand in Alton Bay. Cheers to you, cheers to me… please raise that martini glass in honor of Jonathan

The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Rattlesnake Gal For This Useful Post:
BroadHopper (01-19-2022), eyenotall777 (01-20-2022), Grant (01-19-2022), mcdude (01-19-2022), Slickcraft (01-19-2022), upthesaukee (01-19-2022)

01-19-2022, 11:27 AM	#2
bwolfe Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	I always enjoyed his posts about history of the area!

The Following User Says Thank You to bwolfe For This Useful Post:
Rattlesnake Gal (01-19-2022)

01-19-2022, 12:04 PM	#3
Loventhelake Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2021 Posts: 58 Thanks: 3 Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts	Thank you for posting. Jon was my cousin and will be sorely missed! I worked for Jon and Nancy in the late 80’s early 90’s with my brother on the big blue barge on the lake “Barge Marine works” doing many break waters and a fun project at the “Castle” on Sleepers island. Definitely a job that kept you in shape and got to enjoy the scenery on the lake every day of the summer!! Jon was also a very talented architect, building and designing numerous homes around the lake and NH . His unique design stood out from all other houses for sure. His last business included Downing’s landing, now fish and game where I also worked pumping gas for my uncles in the mid 80’s. The Downing family has a lot of history in Alton Bay and Jon was a big part of keeping things alive in Alton Bay .

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Loventhelake For This Useful Post:
eyenotall777 (01-20-2022), Rattlesnake Gal (01-19-2022)