Obituaries

Thomas Downs

Jr.Thomas Troy Downs Jr., 62, of Signal Mountain, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013.Tom was born in Asheville, N.C., and grew up in Greenville, S.C. He was the son of the late Thomas Troy Downs Sr., and Bettie Davis Downs.Tom, or TD as many knew him, was a 1969 graduate of Wade Hampton High School and a 1973 graduate of the University of Tennessee where he also received his MBA in 1976. At UT, Tom was a member of the Beta Sigma Chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Tom was an avid outdoorsman loving the Smokies, hiking, and fishing. He also loved the coast of South Carolina, especially Lowcountry cuisine, sunsets over the marsh, and beach music. He loved his home on Signal Mountain, enjoying walks along the brow, hikes to Rainbow Lake, and working in the yard with his dog Bonnie.He was a loving husband and father and a dear friend to many. His sense of humor was one of a kind. He had a happy laugh and twinkle in his eye that would usually mean he was up to something. He is survived by his wife, Carol Dance Downs; two daughters, Rebecca Allyson Downs and Sarah Katherine Downs; sister, Cynthia Downs Kinney and husband, Terry, of Lilburn, Ga.; nephew, Seth Swetnam and wife, Tarah and their children, Bryce and Lana of Charleston, S.C. He is also survived by in-laws, Philip and Beverly Dance, of Knoxville, Libby Nix (George) of Dacula, Ga., Darrell Dance (Mary), of Knoxville, Allen Dance (Pam), of Chattanooga; nieces, Janie Wells (Kendal) and Carrie Dance of Knoxville; nephews, Todd Nix (Vicki) and Rob Nix (Kelly), of Atlanta, Michael Dance, of College Station, Texas, Danny Dance (Rebekah), of Nashville, David Dance (Kayla) and Phil Dance, of Chattanooga.Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11, at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church. The family will receive friends from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.The family would like to say a special thank you to all the wonderful staff at Siskin Hospital for their love and care during the last five months.In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made to Siskin Hospital for Rehabilitation, 1 Siskin Plaza, Chattanooga, TN 37403, or Great Smoky Mountains Association, P.O. Box 130, Gatlinburg, TN 37738.Friends may sign the online guest register at www.heritagefh.com.Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga.

Published January 10, 2013

Upcoming Events