A Eulogy for Will Downie
Will Downie left this world on March 8th, 2025 at the age of 34. He lived 12,660 days. I would say it was a short life in years, but a full one if measured in relationships and love.
I only met Will a couple of years ago when he was interned in the Madison County Jail. I’d say that more than a few, myself included, grew close to Will during that time. I know he touched my life, and I considered him a friend. I thought no less of him because of his past, nor did he of me because of mine. We all have done things we are not proud of, each of us have committed offenses, some of them even crimes against society, but only a few get caught. We should always bear that in mind before we are too harsh in our judgment of one another. We are all fallible, we are all broken, and each of us, no matter how perfect we think we are, is struggling with some malady, some disorder, some affliction. The past is something behind us and in most cases, should be left there when considering another person; it really bears little if any resemblance at all to who the person is today. T.S. Eliot made one of the most profound observations in reference to that very thing,
“We die to each other daily. What we know of other people is only our memory of the moments during which we knew them, and they have changed since then. To pretend that they and we are the same is a useful and convenient social convention which must sometimes be broken. We must also remember that at every meeting we are meeting a stranger.” “The Cocktail Party”
As I said, I considered Will a friend and I honestly believe he shared the same thoughts for me. If I had to narrow it down to a single attribute, I believe it was his smile that initially drew people to Will. It wasn’t your typical smile. It not only illuminated his face, but his entire being exuded his happiness at seeing you. That smile was genuine and disarming, and the reason his smile had that effect was because of its depth; it was not superficial, its source of power was his heart.
Upon hearing of his death, I notified our mutual friends, Joel Douget and Loyd Harper. Will attended church with them weekly. Loyd later sent me a photograph depicting Will in a horse trough which served as a baptismal, and I was performing the baptism. I must admit, I had forgotten that I had baptized him, but upon receiving that photo, the memory of that event came flooding back. All one need do is look at the picture and the love and joy are evident. Will was quite simply refulgent with joy and the love of Christ! I was so honored to have been a part of his public profession of his faith. Will didn’t just profess it; he made every attempt to live it.
One of the things I loved about Will was he seemed to be in a near constant state of joy and happiness. I have pondered how someone could keep such a disposition, for I have difficulty in doing so for just a few moments, much less for any length of time. But I think therein this comparison lies the key. Will was not “keeping a disposition,” he was emitting a “state of being.” The former implies some type of work, while the latter speaks of yielding. To truly enter into intimacy with Jesus, there must be a surrender, a laying down of our arms, a yielding to Him.
I have come to believe Will’s happiness was because of his relationship with Christ.
I think it is a tragedy that many Christians seem to be so solemn and sad. My goodness, many of the hymns we sing about our supposed joy in the Lord are, let’s face it, so depressing. We should be filled with happiness and joy, and exuberant in our salvation. The abundant life was meant to be lived in the here and now. We cannot be perpetually solemn. Why would anyone want to join us in our faith if we appear to be sad all of the time? In contrast to that would be Will’s state of being, as well as two of the most endearing attributes he possessed: his wry sense of humor, and proclivity to mischief. And before we are too quick to think these things unchristian like, let us never forget that several of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen. I ask, have you ever met a fisherman that wasn’t as rough as a cob, mischievous, and given to lying? I’m sorry, I meant embellishing for the sake of a good fishing story.
In enjoy working out, and at almost 62 I think I’m doing a fairly good job of staying in shape. I have heard the following statement many times, and I seem to recall Will actually saying it once too, “Hey, you look good for 62.” That is really not a complement folks. What you are really saying in those words is, “Curtis, although you are as wrinkly as one of those Shar-pei dogs, and your pectoral muscles have obviously made the magical transformation into becoming man breasts, you still look better than a 90 year old.” Ugh. Just don’t please. Will and I actually had a discussion on this very subject and he deduced I wasn’t actually 90 years of age, but rather closer to 100.
Will also enjoyed working out, and we would often discuss workout routines and the pros and cons of various other topics related to lifting weights and calisthenics. I always found these discussions informative and humorous, because they were typically laced with sarcasm and laughter, invariably at my expense of course. As with his smile, you could always count on Will’s honesty, sometimes brutal honesty, of which virtually all who knew him could attest to. I suspect that all of us fell victim to this honesty at some point or other in our interactions with him, some of us more so than others.
I used to run every morning and after my run, during my cool down period, I would go into the kitchen to say hi to Will and the guys. I recall the first time I did so quite vividly. As I entered the room in my sweaty t-shirt and running shorts, I immediately knew I had made a mistake. I can still see that Will Downie “mischief” smile creeping into his face. I have sometimes described it as a “jackass eating thistles kind of smile.” So, upon seeing his smile, I waited patiently for the ensuing commentary to be unleashed. As was his norm, I didn’t have to wait long. Upon receipt of the astute observation Will had made regarding my anatomy, I knew I had to incorporate more leg days into my workout routine. From that day forward I was affectionately greeted every morning with, “How are you doing with those ole chicken legs?” I can assure you, if you had any issue with excessive hubris, you could count on Will to help you with that problem by taking you down a peg or two.
I got to see Will three days before he left us. I went to the kitchen to seek him out because I had not seen him for a few days. As I walked in I was greeted with his smile and that patented twinkle in his eye. I could always feel the love and happiness emitting from him. There he stood grinning, obviously happy to see me. Under one arm was a huge stainless-steel bowl and the other was working a large spoon through a concoction of peanut butter and grape jelly. I cannot recall ever seeing that much peanut butter and jelly together at one time in my life. Of course, I immediately began to salivate because I love peanut butter and jelly. My friend asked if I wanted a sandwich and during the brief discussion which followed, we both agreed that a PB&J was quite possibly one of the best things in the world. They just seem to make the world a better place.
What I have been describing to you is the interaction I had with Will and the way he affected me, actually changed me in some way. This is by definition a relationship. It is through our relationships that we influence and change one another, some for the better and some for the worse.
For those that do not know me, I am something of an amateur philosopher. Philosophy fascinates me. A philosopher is at the core, and I say this with tongue in cheek, a person who makes things otherwise easily understood, much more difficult to understand. In my quest of the love of wisdom, I have been working on an essay which addresses what I would consider the two greatest philosophical questions:
- How will I be remembered?
And,
- Did I make a difference?
Now, to understand anything you must take the author’s perspective into account. I am viewing these questions from a Christian stance, which means I want to be remembered as doing things Christ-like. By making a difference in another’s person’s life, I am making decisions and living that Christlike life. The reason I place “How will I be remembered” as one of the great questions, is I believe we all seek remembrance because this equates to something akin to immortality on this plane of existence.
I believe most of us want to be a positive influence upon others, rather than do them some harm. We want to remembered as being something more than just good. We desire to influence others positively by doing them some goodwill or helping them in some way, in essence, being a friend to them which is in effect, entering into a relationship with them.
My favorite author is C.S. Lewis. Many years ago, I read an essay he wrote titled, “The Weight of Glory.” Within its pages I gleaned what I would consider words that quite literally have changed my life. I have excerpts printed and framed in my home and in my office.
This quote inspires me to be a better man, and I’ll admit I rarely get it right, but I do strive to perfect this line of thought. There is rarely a day goes by when these words do not cross my mind. They literally haunt me.
“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
Referring back to the last time I seen Will and reflecting upon our conversation, yes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches do make life better, but it is people, it is people like Will Downie that make the world a better place. Yes, he had his failings, God knows we all do, but do you realize how rare a thing it is to come across someone so open and honest? It was his genuineness that made Will someone I was drawn to. He was an authentic person, and what is more, a brother in Christ. When he left this world, he was immediately in the presence of Jesus. Think about that for a moment. Will entered into the presence of love itself. Imagine the look on Will’s face at that encounter. Imagine his smile in that moment, and the Lord of the universe seeing that smile and that twinkle in his eye. Imagine Jesus taking him into his arms and all of his worries, concerns, and his fears just falling away. Peace, blessed peace was what Will felt within mere seconds upon leaving this existence, and peace is what he is feeling now.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are missing out on the greatest relationship of your life, and what is more, your eternal destiny depends on it. Will knew him, and would want me to share that good news with you. The definition of repentance is not just a turning away from sin, but a turning to God. I count myself fortunate to have witnessed the authentic transformation of this young man. This was accomplished through his relationship with Jesus and I can assure you, Will knows him even more intimately now.
In closing I will add, that the Greek word Angelos is where we get our word angel. An angel is a messenger, a protector, a guide sent by God. I am coming to believe that not all angels are of the heavenly variety. We must open our spiritual eyes and ears to recognize them because we often don’t realize we have been in their presence until they have departed. I can attest to you today that not all angels are sporting a pair of wings, some who we meet may very well be clad in raiment of penal fashion.
Will Downie was what I would call “a hoss of a man” and I loved him. Though he may not have always been what we would deem as “good,” I know he finished his race as a protector, a guide, and a messenger, and his message was one of love. I think that Will has left us something we should aspire to, that being to finish our own race with love.
Until we meet again my brother.
C. Klingle
Leave a Reply