Dorothy Jean Downes

(August 31, 1927 - August 12, 2022)

Dorothy Jean Downes (née Gaskell) of Dearborn passed away peacefully at Angela Hospice on August 12, 2022, just shy of her 95th birthday. The daughter of Harry Gaskell and Lurah Mead of Detroit, she is preceded in death by siblings Betty Fluegge, Robert Gaskell, and Marlin Richard Gaskell, and by her beloved husband of 72 years, Gale Downes, who passed away last year. She is survived by her son, Kenneth (Mary Ann) Downes; daughter, Carol (Kevin) O'Day; grandchildren, Carrie (Jon) Teefey, Kimberly (Joseph) Dodds, and Laura (Steve) Hernandez; five great-grandchildren, Logan, Lorelei, Jack, Journey, and Madelyn; and her many, many beloved nieces and nephews.

Dorothy traveled widelyto Mexico, Puerto Rico, British Columbia, and all over the USand enjoyed being involved in community activities with her church, as well as singing in the choir. An athletic girl growing up, she was very active throughout her life and loved dancing, swimming, bowling, biking with Gale, and playing softball in the park with her grandkids. Even in her golden years, she had quite the arm for pitching.

She loved being with and taking care of family, and her home was the centerpiece of the holiday season for many years. She and Gale hosted their kids and grandkids for a Christmas lunch of her famous homemade lasagna each year, and they spent nearly a decade hosting extended family for a huge "dollar gift" Christmas party at their Dearborn home.

Dorothy was always up for going out to restaurants and had a true passion for food. Both making and sharing meals with family was one of her greatest loves. She had a notorious sweet toothespecially for chocolateand would often whip up a chocolate or coconut cream pie on a whim just to have a reason to invite over family for a little dessert. She could always be counted on to immediately open any box of cookies or chocolates you gave her so she could offer one to youbefore sampling one or two herself!

Mom/Nana/Aunt Dorothy/Dottie Jean/DotYou brought so much joy into so many of our lives, and we are grateful to have been a part of yours. You will be deeply missed and always remembered.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages those who knew and loved Dorothy to share a memory or photo, or to make a donation in her name to Angela Hospice (https://angelahospice.org/donate/).