Joseph “Joe” Downs

Joseph “Joe” William Downs, 79, of Fort Wayne, formally of Knox, passed away Saturday, May 9, in  Fort Wayne.

He was born on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 1946 in Rensselaer, son of the late Walter John Downs and the late Lucille (Walters) Downs.

Joe was a US Army veteran. He was a member of both the VFW and American Legion of Fort Wayne. He attended St. Elizabeth Seaton in Fort Wayne. Joe was a pharmacist for 40 years. He enjoyed running, skiing, golf and bowling.  He loved to have annual family baseball games. Joe enjoyed tending to his flowers and working in his yard. He loved his cats: Jasper, Shadow, Midnight and Ruby. His greatest passion was spending time with his family and grandchildren.

Surviving are sons: Jason [Michelle] Downs of Knox and Casey Downs of Fort Wayne; daughter Suzanne Kanschat of Plymouth; son-in-law Bill Kanschat of Culver; four grandchildren: Kaitlyn Kanschat of Plymouth, Morgan Downs of Knox, Chloe Kanschat of Plymouth and Justin Downs of Knox; brother Jack [Louise] Downs of Kokomo; and sisters: Donna Powers of Middlebury and Linda Herod of Valparaiso.

He was preceded in death by parents: John and Lucille Downs; and brother Wayne Downs.

Friends will be received at 11 a.m. until time of service at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 23 at the Braman & Son Memorial Chapel, Knox.

Services will be held at Braman & Son Memorial Chapel on Saturday, May 23, at 1 p.m.

Contributions may be made to the Humane Society or Doctors Without Borders.

(Pulaski County Journal — May 20, 2026)