Welcome to the Friendly Westwood

Welcome to the Friendly
Westwood Village Rotary Club

Meeting Thursday noon at the UCLA Faculty Center
480 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, California 90095

In Memoriam

James Bennett Downie
September 8, 1927 - March 25, 2009

Dear Members:

It is with great regret that I advise you that Jim Downie passed away during the night. Jim had been in the hospital for the past week or so and had planned to come home to hospice care today.
I visited with Jim last Monday evening at the hospital and, while very uncomfortable, he was lucid and was able to share a few stories with me. I have been very fortunate in being one of the many club presidents that Jim took under his wing as he helped us make our year as a Rotary club president more effective and enjoyable to our members.
Jim, an ex-Marine, was one of our longest active members (over 54 years of perfect attendance) and was president of the club during the 1972-1973 Rotary year. I will miss Jim, as everyone else who knew him will. Our prayers and condolences go out to Marjorie, Jim's wife, his two sons, Scott & Chris, and the rest of his family.
I will circulate funeral and/or memorial service information when it becomes available.

Regards,
Sean.........
March 25, 2009

March 31, 10AM to Noon: Viewing
Gates, Kingsley and Gates Mortuary, corner of Arizona and 20th Street.

April 1, 3PM: Memorial service
First United Methodist Church [Chapel]
1008 11th Street (corner of Washington and 11th), Santa Monica
There is street parking and Church parking across the street from the Church (which may be underground).

[Jim Downie remembered]

There is no person who more loved the Westwood Village Rotary Club than did Jim. Nobody can match his knowledge of our club’s history and his willingness to jump in and help. Jim was always there for us. He always was there to support (and criticize) our president. Club fellowship events – did Jim ever miss one? We all will miss him dearly. A true gem of a man.
Ron Lyster

It is hard to express how much of the Westwood Village Rotary Club is tied to Jim Downie. As a recent president I can honestly say that without him the experience would not have been complete. He was quick to let you know what needed to be better and quick to let you know he was available to help. But his heart was always all about the club. This is a great loss to us all!
Michael D. Gintz

I read this news with a very heavy heart. I have lost a friend of 16 years and I will miss him a great deal. The club will not be the same without him. The hole he leaves may someday be filled, but it's going to take a long time and a special person to do it. My condolences go out to Margie and and the family. I already miss him.
Elliott Turner

No words can adequately convey my sorrow in the loss of Jim to his childhood sweetheart Margie and to WVRC. My thoughts and prayers are with Margie and his family.
Leo Tseng

The memories that we all will have of Jim are widespread. I was fortunate to be a part of the group that received his communications from time to time dealing with many subjects that helped one to be appreciative of what was around us. I have many of them still in my computer, and take the opportunity to pass them on to others for fun and inspiration. We express our deepest sympathy to a wonderful family, and thanks to Jim for the thoughts that he passed on to us over the years.
Ray and Marjorie Zickfeld

We will always think of Jim Downie as someone who made our lives more
enjoyable. He and Margie put together the wonderful book recording WVRC's
75th anniversary and they enlivened the Sweetheart Brunch with romantic
songs and with games featuring famous sweethearts through the years.
We still have the sheriff badges Jim created for our weekend in Palm
Springs when Andy was District Governor. Jim also put together a memorable
Old West town in the jail, complete with a jail, a boot cemetery and the old
hanging tree.
And for our demotion party Jim created a patrol car -- a car that ran.
Can any of us forget the washing machine that Jim made for another
demotion party -- was it for Bill Bloomfield?
Jim always was ready to create for his Rotary friends and always willing
to play the piano, organ, or his portable keyboard for our holiday parties,
our family picnics, and many other memorable events.
He always was there to help and to make any Rotary event just a bit more
fun for all of his friends.
He and Margie are irreplaceable in our Rotary family and we shall always
remember him with love.
Pat and Andy Anderson

I am so saddened by this news. I had the pleasure of getting to know Jim when he and Marjorie opened their home to some of us that were performing in the “Demotion of Michael Gintz” a few years ago. Jim took great pride in the set designing, he turned a very large refrigerator box into a bank tellers window and coached us on how to speak into the mike so that the audience would be able to hear our monologues. Jim was a terrific guy. My thoughts and prayers are with Marjorie and his family.
Flo Sampson

I'm very sorry to hear about Jim's passing. Thank you for sharing this with me. I remember what a kind and warm spirit Jim had. I know he will most definitely be missed at WVRC.
Tori Hettinger
(Tori is PP UCLA Rotaract, Rotaract PDG5280, and now serving D5280 at the Westchester office)

Jim with Margie at the Sweetheart Brunch in Feb 2009.