Canton Obituary: Joan Downey, 75

Joan Ann Downey, 75, of Canton, beloved wife of the late Emil L. Downey for 43 years, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Sunday, October 8, 2017.

Joan was born in New Haven on June 3, 1942, the daughter of the late Stanley and Vera (Latimer) Lasko. Joan was raised, attended schools, and worked for a number of years in East Hartford, and she resided in Canton for the last 50+ years.

Following her marriage to Emil, they spent many wonderful years sharing beautiful memories together. She took an immediate interest in bowling and soon became an accomplished and competitive bowler. She was a member of the Greater Hartford Women’s Bowling Association for over 25 years and served as the organization’s President. She was also a National Delegate for the Women’s Bowling Association and competed for over 25 years in the Women’s National Bowling Tournament.

Joan also loved to stay active and found great enjoyment in traveling with her family. She raced snowmobiles and off-road jeeps competitively, and loved to play tennis and ski. Despite all of her athletic pursuits, Joan’s family was her greatest passion and she loved the time she was able to spend with her children and grandchildren. She had a kind and generous soul, and a playful sense of humor that truly made her a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She will be dearly missed every day.

Joan is survived by her son, Emil L. Downey II and Yvonne Dobre; her daughter, Robin Downey-Murphy and Vincent Murphy; and grandchildren, Cole Murphy, Kyle Murphy, and Heather Murphy. In addition to her husband and parents, she was predeceased by her brothers, Stanley and Bobby Lasko, and her sister, Judy Graham.

Joan’s family will hold a private funeral ceremony at their convenience.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Joan’s memory may be made to the National Kidney Foundation, 1463 Highland Ave., Cheshire, CT 06410.

The Carmon Funeral Home & Family Center of Avon is in care of the arrangements. For online condolences or to share a memory with the family, please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com.