Edith Eveline Downs

In Loving Memory of

Edith Eveline Huskey Downs

July 29, 1938 – July 3, 2026

Edith Eveline Huskey Downs, lovingly known as “Nanny,” passed away peacefully on July 3, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family.

Born on July 29, 1938, to Daniel and Stella Fountain Huskey, Edith dedicated her life to caring for her family. She married Roy Downs on August 14, 1969, in Washington County, Mississippi, and together they built a home centered on love and family.

A devoted homemaker, Edith’s kitchen was the heart of her home. There was almost always a pot of pinto beans on the stove, cornbread in the oven, biscuits on the table, and, when the garden was producing, fresh squash or salt meat to share. No one ever left her home hungry or without feeling welcome.

To her grandchildren, she was simply Nanny. She was everything a grandmother should be—loving, patient, and always ready with a hug, a story, or a game of cards. She loved having her family together and found joy in the simple moments spent with those she loved most. She also enjoyed reading her Bible and found comfort in its pages.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Roy Downs; her parents, Daniel and Stella Huskey; her sons, William Earl Ray and David Lee Ray; her daughter, Peggy Sue Reed; her stepdaughter, Mary Hogue; her granddaughter, Becky Light; her grandson, Timothy Downs; and her siblings, Jettie Vaughn, Patsy Weeks, Shirley Faye Leopard, Mary Jane Ray, Elsie Barnett, James Huskey, and Earl Huskey.

She leaves to cherish her memory her brother, Eddie Huskey; her sister, Susie Weeks; her children and stepchildren, Charles “Butch” Ray, Roy Downs Jr., Randy Downs, Billy Downs, Bobby Downs, and Peggy Light; her beloved grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; 5 great-great-grandchildren; and many other family members and friends who will miss her dearly.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, 2026, at Ray Funeral Home in Cleveland, Mississippi. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m., with burial immediately following at Linn Baptist Cemetery.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Delta Rehabilitation and Heart of Hospice for the compassionate care they provided Edith during her final days.

She was our Nanny, our home, and our greatest blessing. Her love will live on in each of us forever.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Edith Eveline Downs, please visit our floral store.