Obituary of Thomas S. Downey

Thomas Stephen Downey January 21, 1942 - March 9, 2019 of Kingston, passed away on March 9th after a courageous battle against melanoma.  Beloved husband of Lee, his wife of 51 years, he is survived by son Thomas Jr. and his wife Julie and son Jack; son Sean and his wife Karrie and children Carolyn and Connor; sister Susan Maki and her husband Jack and children Debbie, Michael, and Jennifer; and brother-in-law Bill Gould, husband of the late Ruth Ann Gould, and children Billy and Erin.  Tom embraced life and was loved by many.  

Tom grew up in Braintree, the son of John and Gertrude Downey.  He graduated from Archbishop Williams High School, attended Boston College, and graduated from Suffolk University. Tom then went on to a successful career in Healthcare Consulting.

Tom and Lee resided in Duxbury for 45 years. There, he generously volunteered his time as a member of the Duxbury School Committee, President of Duxbury Youth Baseball, President of the Duxbury Gridiron Club, and coach of his sons’ many football, baseball, soccer and basketball teams.  He was also very involved in the church, serving as a Eucharistic Minister, CCD teacher, and Chairman of the Parish Council at Holy Family Church in Duxbury.

Tom was an avid golfer and a sports enthusiast.  He was formerly a member at North Hill Country Club, Marshfield Country Club, and Plymouth Country Club.  A witty and big-hearted man, Tom was often surrounded by his family and many friends.   He was always there for them, and also relished good-hearted teasing and making them laugh.  Above all, Tom loved spending time with his family.  His grandchildren especially, brought a smile to “Papa’s” face and brought out his inner child.  

His family will forever appreciate the exceptional care and attention he received from Ryan Sullivan, M.D. at Massachusetts General Hospital; Ulrike Kohler, M.D., Michael McLaughlin, M.D., John Wengryn, M.D. and many other health care professionals at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and Kristen Kennelly, R.N. and Amy Sotomayor from Bayada Home Healthcare.

A Funeral Mass to celebrate Tom’s life will be held on Friday, March 15th, at Holy Family Church in Duxbury at 10:00 AM.  Visiting hours will be held at Shepherd Funeral Home, 216 Main St (Rt. 106) Kingston on Thursday, March 14th, from 4:00-8:00 PM.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute online at www.cc-tdi.org.