William S. Downey, Jr., M.D., 76, of New Bedford died Thursday January 29, 2004 at home. He was the husband of the late Loretta B. (Ring) Downey, who died April 23, 2003.
Born in New Bedford, the son of the late Attorney William S. and Marie A. (Jackson) Downey, he attended Holy Family Grammar School and Holy Family High School. He left high school in January of his senior year and matriculated at Boston College in an accelerated pre-medical course, completing four semesters in eighteen months. Then at age 18, he entered Harvard Medical School.
After graduating from Medical School, he completed his first two years of residency in Pediatrics at the University of Chicago Clinics. He then returned to Boston where he was Senior Assistant Resident in Pediatric Medicine at Children's Hospital. While at Children's Hospital, he developed the Apt-Downey test, a neonatal test that is still used today. He then did a year of research at the Jimmy Building under an Atomic Energy grant, and was an instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.Following his residencies, Dr. Downey returned to New Bedford where he maintained a practice for 32 years. He later was instrumental in establishing Pediatric Associates of New Bedford.
He lived in New Bedford and Mattapoisett for many years, before moving to Gainesville, Florida in 1985. He later resided in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida and Falmouth, before recently returning to New Bedford. He was a communicant of St. Lawrence Church in New Bedford, and a former communicant of St. Patrick's Church in Falmouth, Holy Faith Catholic Church in Gainesville, and Epiphany Catholic Church in Port Orange, Florida.
Early in his clinical years, Dr. Downey became interested in the cognitive and behavioral development of infants and children. He was invited to participate in a four year course of study at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Pediatric Psychiatry, underwritten by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. His main interest became the problems of cognition and their management. Dr. Downey procured a three year grant from the Federal Department of Education for the New Bedford School Department. When the third year of the grant ended, the program was absorbed into the New Bedford School System and became part of the Special Education Program.
In 1985, Dr. Downey left his practice in New Bedford and started a second career at the University of Florida School of Medicine, where he developed the Primary Care Program for the Pediatric residents and opened up two weekly clinics, one on cognitive problems and the other of behavior problems in school. Before retiring , Dr. Downey was named Professor of the Year by the Pediatric House staff and Medical Residents of the University, and was also named the Pediatric Representative on the Florida Education Committee for Special Education.
Active in Church programs, he was the founding president of the New Bedford Serra Club, a club that is a member of Serra International, a worldwide organization of Catholics whose unique apostolate is the fostering and developing of vocations to the clergy and religious life. Dr. Downey was one of eighteen Serran's from around the world who participated at the Domus Marie in Rome. He later became District Governor of Serra and then was elected to the Serra International Board.
Dr. Downey became active in Cursillo and returned as a team member four times. He was honored, at the request of the late Bishop Connolly, by being made a papal Knight of St. Gregory. Later, he and his wife were made Knight and Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a papal order with a special apostolate of maintaining a Christian presence in the Holy Land. During their years with the E.O.H.S., Dr. Downey and his wife rose in rank to Knight and Lady Grand Cross, the highest ranking attainable. In turn, they were given the Pilgrim's medal from His Beatitude, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah.
Dr. Downey loved playing the piano, often for charitable events and for the residents at the Woodbriar in Falmouth. He began oil painting later in life, and spent more and more of his retirement time in this hobby.
Survivors include 4 daughters, Teresa M. Downey of Sea Isle City, NJ, Patricia M. Downey of Colts Neck, NJ, Kathleen M. Downey of Mattapoisett, and Bernadette M. Downey of Wayland; 5 sons, Dennis M. Downey of Falmouth, David G. Downey of River Forest, IL, Jerome P. Downey of New York City, Brian J. Downey of Westford and Kevin I. Downey of Gainesville, FL; 2 sisters, Mary L. Downey and Anne D. Saunders, M.D., both of New Bedford; a brother, Attorney Maurice F. Downey of Mattapoisett; 24 grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. He was the father of the late Martin P. Downey and grandfather of the late Sean M. Downey.
His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday February 2, 2004 at 11 AM in St. Lawrence Church, 565 County St., New Bedford. Burial will follow in St. Anthony's Cemetery, Mattapoisett. Visiting hours will be at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford on Sunday February 1, 2004 from 2-6 PM. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Schwartz Center for Children, 374 Rockdale Ave., New Bedford, MA 02740.