A devoted servant of Jehovah God, Jimmy Ray Downs, passed away on Friday, September 17, 2021 at 2:20 p.m.  He is now living in his Heavenly Father's memory.

Jim was born in Norwalk, CA to Buel and Carmaletha Downs on October 14, 1944.

He married his wife, Jalanda Jean Riggs, on February 9, 1963, and they would have been married 59 years in February. Together they had four children: John Stacy, Cory Ray, Shawn Dean, and Gina Rae. They moved to Arkansas in 1971 and living a simple life, he raised his family driving a concrete truck.

Jim was known for speaking his mind and loyally defending his close friends and family. His loving demeanor and warm smile garnered him many friends in the Sturgis area and beyond, he was dearly loved by them. Just to mention a couple of his friends:  Mike Anderson, they loved to spend time riding their motorcycles in the hills. Also, Jimmy Sheeler, who lived nearby and was always ready to lend a helping hand. Jim was very close to the Elders in his congregation and had many more friends that he dearly loved. Jim loved working on RBC and LDC projects and often took his family to help as well. He helped build and repair many Kingdom Halls including the one right here in Sturgis.

He enjoyed working in his woodshop and all his family members have many of his creations in their homes. He was working hard to get everyone in the Congregation a routered sign for their home as a gift. Like his father before him, he was a master gardener. One walk around his yard would tell you how much he loved creation. He was blessed with the ability to grow anything, always making his yard beautiful.

Jim loved to laugh and make others laugh. He was always telling goofy jokes and silly stories. One he liked to tell: He and his brother were running around with BB guns in the barn while their dad was milking cows. They jumped off the dock into what appeared to be dry dirt, but ended up waist deep in cow manure, even burying the BB guns!  When he was young growing up in California, he would ride his bike to Knotts Berry Farm. Along the way he and his brother would sneak into the strawberry fields and eat the strawberries, they also were known to bust open a watermelon and eat it until the farmer would catch them and run them off.

We look forward to the day we get to see Jim again, when Jehovah (Ps. 83:18) fulfills his prophecy of the resurrection (Acts 24:15) to live in a beautiful paradise earth. (Rev. 21:3,4) No longer having to deal with the sickness and maladies man endures now. (Isaiah 33:24)

Jim was preceded in death by his parents Buel and Carmaletha Downs; his brother, Buel Dean Downs; his son, Cory Ray Downs; and a great-grandson, Landyn Cole Downs.

Surviving family members are: his wife, Jalanda Jean Downs; and their children and grandchildren were: his son, Stacy (Jacqui) and  their daughter, Sommer and her children, Jonas, and Conrad Courson, and their son, Ethan (Jinny); his daughter-in law, Teresa Downs, and son, Cody (Jennifer) and their children are Cole, Ryder, and Bailee and their son, Kyle (Jessie) and their son, Liam; his son, Shawn (Rebecca), and their children are, Tristin, and Shiloh; his daughter, Gina (Gil Hitesman), and their son, Alan with his daughter, Azaylei and another on the way and their daughter, Julie Sorbel (Danny), and  their children are, Naladee, and Solomon; Jim's sister, Debbie Mikles (Bill); Jim also had many nieces and nephews.

Jim had a nickname for his children, grandchildren, and some of the great-grandchildren. This is a list of his special names:

Jalanda                                    Jake

Stacy                                       Johnny Boy

Jacqui                                      Pooh Girl

Cory                                        Corn Dodger

Teresa                                      Tess

Shawn                                      Shawn Deanie

Rebecca                                    Becca Sue

Gina                                         G-girl or Baby Girl

Gil                                            Giblert

Sommer                                   Mattie

Cody                                        Bosky

Alan                                         A.C.

Ethan                                       Eton Todder

Julie                                         Katy

Kyle                                         Little Jim

Danny                                      Danny Boy

Tristin                                      T.C.

Shiloh                                      Showee

Nala                                         Poochie

Solomon                                  Pudge

Jimmy Ray Downs

Devoted Husband, Loving Father, Trusted Friend and Devoted Servant of Jehovah the Most High God, will be missed! See you soon Dad.

Memorial services will be 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 2, 2021, on Zoom. Please contact the family for more information.