Verna Downen

Verna J. Downen, 73, of Scott City passed away Friday, Sept. 23, 2016, at the home of a granddaughter in Cape Girardeau.

She was born June 6, 1943, in Advance, Missouri, to John H. and Ethel P. McDowell Long. She and Eddie Downen were married Jan. 16, 1983. They had been married 33 years when Eddie passed away Feb. 28, 2016.

Verna attended Advance High School. She worked many years for Drury Hotels and later managing rental properties. Verna had a natural flair for interior decorating and enjoyed volunteering at Saint Francis Medical Center and FISH in Cape Girardeau.

Loving survivors include two daughters, Janet (Rick) Joiner of Malden, Missouri, and LeeAnne Ward (Frank) Haley of Saltillo, Tennessee; granddaughters, Kendra (Dustin) Gross of Cape Girardeau, Julie Hale Culler of Malden and Lacie Ward of Saltillo; a grandson, Austin Worthy of Park Hills, Missouri; great-granddaughters, Ashlynne and Elizabeth Culler of Malden; great-grandson, Dagwood Arthur Gross; a brother, Bobby Long of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas; and a sister, Margaret (Bob) Nix of Jackson.

In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, Virgil Long.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to service time Tuesday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Terry McKee officiating. Interment is private at Greenbrier Cemetery in Greenbrier, Missouri.

Memorials may take the form of contributions to Southeast Hospice.

Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.mccombsfuneralhome.com.