Robert George Downing

Bob was born on August 5, 1934 in Seattle to George and Ruth Downing. Bob grew up by Green Lake and spent his youth playing baseball and war with friends. He attended John B. Allen Elementary serving as one of its safety patrol guards. He proudly delivered the Seattle Star Newspaper during WWII. Next, he attended Hamilton Middle School and won the Wallingford “Woody” pitching contest. In 1952, he graduated from Lincoln High School, and served on its reunion committees for decades.

With his neighborhood friends, Bob attended UW, and was one of the founding members of the Beta Alpha Gamma “frarority” (a combination of fraternity and sorority) known as the “BAGS.” Pictured at his 1963 wedding to Maria, the BAGS continued to socialize the rest of his life.

In 1956, he graduated with a Business Administration and Marketing Research degree, and was commissioned into the Air Force. He spent 3 years on active duty as an Intelligence Officer assigned to the 32nd Tac Recon Squadron at Phalsbourg AFB in France. Bob continued his military career as a reservist. He was temporarily activated in 1973 for Operation Homecoming, an assignment to debrief the return of 591 American Prisoners of War from Vietnam. Later, he served as the Commander of the Intelligence Reserve Detachment 5, and retired as a Colonel in 1990.

Aspiring for an advanced degree, Bob graduated from the UW Law School in 1965, and spent his entire legal career at Boeing advising clients on many classified programs in Boeing’s Aerospace & Defense Group until he retired in 1999.

Bob also gave back to his community by volunteering for the Mountlake Terrace Planning Commission for 19 years. He loved basketball, including coaching his children’s teams, and running the MTYAA basketball program. Bob also loved Husky sports, holding football tickets for sixty years, going to Rose Bowl trips in different decades, and being a member of the President’s Club.

In retirement, Bob raised three of his granddaughters, Desiree, Christy and Alekz, and attended many events for his other grandchildren, Cody and Kaitlin. He also kept a very active social life with friends from all aspects of his life.

Bob is survived by his daughter Kitti (Sean) Cramer; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; his sister Dorothy Downing; and his former wife and best friend, Maria Downing. He was predeceased by his son, Greg Downing.

Remembrances may be made to the Mountlake Terrace Community Foundation at https://mltcf.org/bob-downing-memorial-fund/.