No one ever knows what is deep inside another person’s mind or heart. Sometimes the agony seems more than they believe they can bear, and a change seems impossible. Although so many of us who loved him deeply have tried our very best to give him hope and encouragement that things could be different, alas, he made the decision in a cloud of deep depression, that the pain was too much. Less than a week before his 53rd birthday, on Friday September 16, 2016, he chose the painful decision that will have an everlasting effect on us all, to end his life. We will remember the wonderful times we have shared, as well as the complete anguish of knowing for a moment hope was lost. Thomas Paul Downard was born on September 21, 1963, to Harmon and Pauline (Mutchler) Downard in Bowling Green, Ohio, who both preceded him in death. Thomas is survived by his wife, Candy, six children and four grandchildren. Johnny (Brittney) Downard, of Haskins, Ohio, and their children, Boaz and Ezra; Eliza (Justyn) Hummel and their children, Lyndsey and Remington; Paul, Elliott, Gabrielle and Noah, all of Bowling Green, Ohio. He was the youngest of six siblings, survived by Harmon Downard Jr, of Bowling Green, Ohio; Carmen (David Sr) Duncan, of Grand Rapids, Ohio; Charles (Peggy) Downard, Bowling Green, Ohio; Hobart Downard, of Cleveland, Ohio; and Polly (Mike) Balmoria, of Bowling Green, Ohio. He enjoyed his children and grandchildren, racing go karts, attending drag races with all of his children, building special places for each of us on our property, go kart tracks, horse barns, paths and overlooks along the creek. He gave his self to us through hard work and gifts of love built from his own hands. Those times of working side by side, creating something out of scraps, will be sorely missed by his entire family. He was body man for over 30 years, working for Brondes Ford of Maumee for the last 16 years. As a US Marine, he was a man of hard work and determination to provide for his family. We thank him for that. Although how he chose to finally deal with his pain and agony was his choice, I know many of us will be questioning whether or not we could have or should have done more. Don’t. We all did what we could to encourage him to find a way out of that pit of darkness. All of us would change that moment if we had that power. We would have made the choices differently for him, brought him up from despair if we could. We could not. Let your hearts find peace and love deeply. Funeral Services will be held at Peinert-Dunn Funeral home, Tontogany, Ohio on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Visitation will begin at 12 noon until the time of service. Interment will follow at Washington Twp. Cemetery – Rangeline Road, north of Kellogg Road. After the services a meal and memories will be shared at Doc’s Restaurant in Tontogany, Ohio. To leave an online memory visit dunnfuneralhome.com.
