Robert John Downing, who was born in Chelsea, worked on the Atlas missile program in the Air Force and later hand-dug his own swimming pool, died at home on August 27, 2026. He was 87.
He was born on February 22, 1939 to Mariner E. and Viola D. (Tibbetts) Downing, graduated from Everett High School in 1957 and attended Wentworth Institute of Technology. In the Air Force he was assigned to the SM-65 Atlas program at Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma.
He and his wife, Louise P. (Carafa) Downing, were married 65 years and lived in Texas, Oklahoma, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He built a log cabin and added a post-and-beam wing to it, rebuilt old trucks, cleared land, and with family and friends dug an in-ground pool by hand. He was a member of Star of Bethlehem Lodge, A.F. and A.M., for 56 years.
Besides his wife, he leaves his children, Susan Merriman and her husband David, Robin Downing, and Robert Downing and his wife Robin; nine grandchildren, Leah Powers, Melissa Navarro, Lauren Merriman, Tyler Downing, Rebecca Merriman, Christopher Navarro, Jacob Downing and Brandon Navarro among them; and two great-grandchildren, Benjamin and James Powers. His brother Douglas B. Downing died before him.
Services were private, arranged by the Carafa Family Funeral Home in Chelsea. The family suggests donations to Shriners Children’s Boston, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114.
Compiled from information published by Carafa Family Funeral Home, 389 Washington Avenue, Chelsea. Photograph courtesy of the family via Carafa Family Funeral Home. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.