Oct. 13, 1952-April 10, 2024

James Winston Downs, age 71, passed away April 10, 2024. He was born Oct. 13, 1952, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to John Winston and Betty Jean Huff Downs. He married Jolene Terry of North Ogden, Utah, on Aug. 15, 1975, in the Provo Utah LDS Temple.

Jim lived in several locations during his childhood and youth, including Columbus, Ohio; Fairborn, Ohio; Honolulu, Hawaii; Lexington, Massachusetts; Mountain View, California; and Silver Spring, Maryland. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Alaska/British Columbia Mission. Jim received a B.S. degree in geology from Brigham Young University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Virginia Tech, specializing in mineralogy. He spent his career as a faculty member in Geological Sciences at The Ohio State University.

Jim enjoyed rock climbing as a young man and picked up the interest again later in life. He fulfilled a personal goal by climbing the Zodiac route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park at age 46. Jim enjoyed singing and was a member of the Columbus (Ohio) Symphony Chorus for 21 years. He and Jolene had a joint love of classical music and attended many concerts of the Columbus Symphony and Cleveland Orchestras over the years. They also enjoyed bike riding together on the Columbus bike trails.

Jim is survived by his spouse Jolene Terry Downs, of Hurricane, Utah; brother John Andrew Downs (Wendy) of Temecula, California; sister Diana Downs Smith (Richard) of Meridian, Idaho; and several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his daughter, Karla Michelle Downs, and parents, John and Jean Downs.

A funeral service will be held at the Hurricane North Stake Center, 272 S. 700 W., Hurricane, Utah, on Wednesday, April 17, at 11 a.m., with a viewing held one hour prior at the stake center.

Arrangements are under the direction of Hughes Mortuary, 1037 East 700 South, St. George Utah, (435) 674-5000.