Zelma Ozelle (Sikes) Downey

Zelma Ozelle Sikes Downey, age 94, of Coleman, passed peacefully in her sleep and went to be with her Lord and Savior who she loved with all her heart, on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, at Holiday Hill Nursing Home.  Funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m. Friday, November 1, in Stevens Funeral Home Chapel with her nephew, Tracy Bartley, officiating.  Interment will follow in the Brown Ranch Cemetery under the direction of Stevens Funeral Home.

She was born March 3, 1925 in Fisk, Texas, to Lora Meryle Larance Sikes and Thomas Tilden Sikes.  She graduated from Mozelle High School in 1942.  She married Malcolm Downey November 5, 1942 in Coleman.  They celebrated 64 ½ years of marriage prior to his death in 2007.  She worked at White’s Auto and Western Auto for a number of years and took phone and gas payments at Countywide Insurance until her retirement at age 75.  She was a member of First Baptist Church, Coleman, for 54 years and a member of the Esther Sunday School Class.

Zelma was a wonderful, loving, caring and hardworking lady.  She always remembered birthdays and anniversaries with cards to family and friends, as well as those in times of heartache or happiness.  She loved gardening and watching her red birds and hummingbirds.  She also loved Sudoku and crossword puzzles and loved to read, keeping her mind sharp.  She loved her family and her beloved dogs through the years.  Her love for the Lord was abundant and she loved to share His Word.

Survivors include her daughter-in-law, Pam Downey of Stevensville, Montana; three granddaughters, Kelly Downey-Stewart and husband Trey of Whitt, Kerry Slayton and husband Buddy of Coleman, Kody Downey of Missoula, Montana; two great-grandsons, Nate Slayton and Bode Slayton; one sister, Thelia Kinsey and husband Don of Oklahoma; one sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Doris and Bob Dehnel of San Angelo; special loved ones, Nancy and Mike Berry of Coleman; numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, her son Kenney Downey on September 16, 2019, one sister and one brother.

Thank you to caregivers throughout her years at home and the staff at Holiday Hill.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggest donations be made to Brown Ranch Cemetery, 4619 CR 300, Gouldbusk, Texas 76845.

Please leave condolences and kind thoughts for  the family at www.livingmemorials.com.