John Sheldon Downs

YORK – John Sheldon Downs died on November 19, 2020 at 11:55 a.m., at York Hospital, with beloved family members by his side, and speaking to him on the phone. He was 80. John was born on August 26, 1940, in Englewood, New Jersey. He was the son of the late Simone Auble (Watkins) O’Bryan and Benjamin Sheldon Downs. He graduated from Canton High School, in Collinsville, Connecticut in 1959, earned a degree from the Culinary Institute of America in New Haven in 1963, and an Associate’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1965, in hotel and restaurant management. He spent his career working in the institutional feeding business, directing food service operations at many notable colleges and universities, then later as a regional manager for multiple schools. In 1990, John co-founded Sage Dining Services, with two partners. Under his leadership, Sage grew into an incredibly successful company with more than 500 employees, doing business all over the east coast by the time he retired in 2004. On July 23, 1976, John married Katheen Ervine McGlinchey at All Saints Episcopal Church in Wynnewood, where her father had served as organist and choirmaster for 35 years. It was a small wedding; just his three boys, Scott, Brett and Chris; her three girls, Patti, Barbara and Michele; and her mother, Ida “Pat” Ervine. From that day forward, the group became a family, forming a real-life “Brady Bunch.” As a boy, John was raised in Ansonia, and Avon, Connecticut. While his father was serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he lived with his grandparents, Florence Calista (Sheldon) and Frederick Dwight Downs. He was especially close to his grandmother. She instilled a profound curiosity, a passion for learning, and a work ethic which remained with him throughout his life. His love for Gramma Downs was evidenced by a dime store key ring she gave him as a teenager, which he used until the day he died. John was an industrious youth, delivering multiple newspaper routes, mowing lawns, shoveling snow, babysitting … anything for a buck. Occasionally, he and his cousins, Shelly and Rick, were a bit overzealous, collecting bottles to return for deposits, and then running around to the back of the store to “collect” them again. John was a gregarious and popular young man, nicknamed “The Most” by high school friends, because he was bigger, stronger, louder, funnier and far more outspoken than most boys his age. He was on the football team, playing center, defensive line and was a star kicker and punter who could boot the pigskin a country mile. He was also a member of the Avon Congregational Church, and their youth group. While living in Avon with his father, John started cooking, as much from necessity as interest, he explained, “because dad was a horrible cook.” After working at a variety of jobs for a couple years after high school, including some at restaurants, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. While becoming a chef, he also worked full-time as a cook at The Mermaid Tavern, an upscale restaurant, where his skills became as sharp as his knives. He worked at multiple restaurants while a student at U. Mass. After graduation, he worked for food service companies that handled dining at Goucher College, Boston College, Gwynedd Mercy College, Bryn Mawr College, York College and Towson State University. John’s determination, talent and entrepreneurial spirit led him to start Sage Dining Services, Inc. In addition to being an excellent chef and an outstanding manager, he had incredible organizational and budgeting skills. He could increase the efficiency and output of any kitchen, and make every operation more profitable. “He even knew how many peaches were in a can,” a former colleague noted, incredulously. Recipes, menus, schedules and budgets could always be improved by his contributions. John took great pride in teaching and mentoring others, and built loyal teams. He was known for his integrity, always being as good as his word, and getting the job done well – every time. His cooking, planning and budgeting skills came in handy while caring for a family of eight. John had the ability to cook gourmet dishes, but he preferred simple meals and desserts, like the ones he grew up with. It seemed to align with his humble view of himself. His favorites included shepherd’s pie (German Shepherd Stew), chicken pot pie, spaghetti and meat sauce, banana bread, chocolate chip cookies and applesauce. He loved sitting at the dining room table, enjoying a cup of coffee, and watching the chaos as six kids tried to get ready for school; making breakfast, ironing clothes, chattering away, and fighting over a single bathroom. He relished hearing one kid tell another to shut up. When that happened, the offender was charged a quarter, to be placed in the “Shut-Up Fund,” a plastic sandwich bag thumbtacked over the closet door. It appealed to his sense of humor. John was truly a family man, and it was reflected in life he and Kathie built for themselves. Meals were centered around family, with John most often doing the cooking, and guests always welcome – provided they would “sing for their supper,” another way his sense of humor was displayed. A favorite time was Christmas morning, when the family would gather around the tree, opening presents one by one, allowing the joy to stretch into the afternoon – often complete with an intermission for delicious treats he would bake. John was affectionate with his family, never bashful to give a hug, or kiss, or saying, “I love you.” Some of John’s charm came from his sentimentality, and even more came from his minor eccentricities. He used the same spoon for his coffee every day. It had belonged to his grandfather, and was worn down so that it was no longer an oval shape, with one side being worn flat, and sharpened over decades, from stirring. He was a stickler for using correct pronunciation and grammar, and often corrected his children (even into adulthood), and grandchildren. He was a creature of habit, and process, so every item in the house had its proper place, with a logical reason behind it. He was Google, before Google existed, knowing the answer to virtually any question, no matter how arcane, or being able to come up with a solution to just about any problem. He could do mathematics in his head faster than with a calculator. During his school and working days, his “uniform” was an Oxford shirt (blue, white or blue and white striped), khakis, cordovan penny loafers and a blue blazer. In retirement, he transitioned to a short-sleeved shirt, short pants (regardless of the weather) and docksider shoes, with his navy blue, nylon windbreaker or navy blue hoodie, if it was chilly. He wore his “knockaround” clothes until they were threadbare, because he stubbornly believed they were still perfectly good, even if they made Kathie cringe (which amused him) when he would leave the house wearing them. Ironically, he always had a couple of brand new spares of everything in the closet – blue windbreakers, docksiders, his favorite Wig Wam wool socks, and even his Mr. Coffee brewing machines – “just in case.” John was a man of many passions, including cooking, gardening, reading, music, photography, genealogy, history, football (New York Giants), sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, and vacationing at his cabin on Highland Lake, in Stoddard, New Hampshire. He loved the poetry of Robert Frost, the short stories of O. Henry, the novels of James A. Michener and Tom Clancy, the paintings of Andrew Wyeth, Alex Trebek on Jeopardy, the music of John Prine, Bob Dylan, the Bellamy Brothers, and hundreds more. Christmas carols could bring a tear to his eye, as could the colors of fall, the beauty of a sunset, the power of water and wind, or the majesty of a mountain range. He would look in wonder, overcome with emotion, acknowledging that to him, nature was proof God exists. Character mattered to John, as did honesty and ethics. He was fond of quoting Wilford Brimley’s Quaker Oats commercial, “It’s the right thing to do.” He wasn’t speaking of oatmeal. He was speaking of life. He often opined, he didn’t know why he was so fortunate; to have such a loving family, financial comfort, and a life filled with so much happiness. He didn’t feel he had done anything special to deserve it. “I’m just a cook,” he’d explain. John is survived by his wife, Kathie, to whom he was married, and loved for more than 43 years; son, Scott S. Downs; son, Brett R. Downs; son, Christopher J. Downs, and wife Lou Ann Mellinger Downs; daughter, Patti Kinard, and husband, Jeff; daughter, Barbara Higgins, and husband, Jeff; daughter Michele Maresca, and husband, Paul; daughters-in-law Alison Lindsay Downs and Lisa Holland Downs; former wife, and mother of his sons, Cynthia L. Johnson; his step-mother, Heidy M. Huebner; his sister Heidi A. Downs; his brother, Michael D. Downs, and wife, Elizabeth; and cousins Frederick S. Downs, Jr. and Carol Bradley Sullivan. Other survivors are thirteen grandchildren – Lyndsey Kinard Vaz (Danny), Amanda Kinard Underwood (Justin), Megan Higgins, Shannon L. Downs, Jamie Higgins, Michael Maresca, Henry Downs, Kylie E. Downs, Danielle Maresca, Kelly Downs, Jack Downs, Megan Leisenring and Joseph Leisenring; nephew Benjamin Downs; and great-grandson, Niko M. Vaz. He was preceded in death by his parents, Simone and Benjamin; his step-father, Ewell “Tex” O’Bryan; his beloved cousin, Sheldon Downs Bradley; and cousins Lynn Bradley Benjamin, Jeffrey Downs, Marcia McClain and Susan Downs. A memorial service celebrating John’s life will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, July 10, 2021 at Olewiler & Heffner Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Inc., 35 Gotham Place, Red Lion. A visitation will be held from 1-2:00 PM at the Funeral Home. John's Tribute Service will be webcast on his obituary page at www.HeffnerCare.com A burial service for John will take place at 10:00 AM Saturday, October 16, 2021 at Pine Grove Cemetery, in Ansonia, Connecticut. John regretted having smoked cigarettes for so many years. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the American Lung Association. CLICK HERE TO SEND FLOWERS