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Friday, July 28, 2017
Volume 13 • Issue No. 30
Couple Celebrates 78 Loving Years YORK York residents Charles Donald Downing, 99-yearsold, and his wife, Irene Tibbetts Downing, 96-years-old, were married 78 years ago on July 15, 1939. It was August 2, 1937, while Don was at York Beach walking up Railroad Ave, where he met the lovely Irene Tibbetts who was walking the other way. Neither of them remembered where they were going. They went to the York Beach Casino together and the two danced there every night until Labor Day. Don would hitchhike from South Berwick every day and hitchhike home every night. Two years later they married. Don was born Charles Donald Downing, son of Charles Weston Downing and Daisy Furbish Downing. Don and Irene are parents of four children, Jere, Diane, Larry, and Skip. They have five grandchildren and now one great grandchild, a baby boy named Charles Henry Downing.
Index
The Downings, then and now.
sharp?� Don: “Yeah, I read a lot. I read a lot of newspapers. And if you’re busy, this comes naturally. You don’t go grab a beer and sit the chair. It’s the Lord’s hand on me, too. You know, I go to the hospital and they run all these tests on me, and then they say, “Mr. Downing, we can’t find anything wrong with you!� I know now, though, that if I
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Resort to Host Paddle Battle Race KENNEBUNKPORT The Nonantum Resort will be hosting the 5th annual Paddle Battle race on the Kennebunk River on Sunday August 6 from 1-5 p.m. Paddle Battle was named a top summer fun event by Sports Illustrated Kids’ magazine! The
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See COUPLE page 8...
KITTERY The Kittery School Department welcomed its two new principals during a recent day of orientation to the Kittery School Department and the Kittery Community. Pictured are (from left) Allison Gamache (Mitchell School Assistant Principal), Marcelle Durost (Mitchell School Interim Principal), John Drisko (Traip Academy Principal), Michael Roberge (Traip Academy Assistant Principal),
and Superintendent Eric Waddell. The group is pictured here during a tour of PNSY and the USS Hampton which is currently in dry dock at the Shipyard for maintenance and modernization. The tour of the PNSY was part of the day-long orientation for Mrs. Durost and Mr. Drisko which also included tours of all three Kittery schools and a windshield tour of Kittery and Kittery Point. Both principals began their new jobs on July 1.
painted. Live music by the Kennebunk River Band and family activities on the resort’s back
lawn. Registration: $35. Paddlebattlekport.com to register. Proceeds benefit the Kennebunkport Fire Dept. Water Division.
annual Kennebunk River race is for kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddle boards, surfboards and any non-motorized vessels. All new this year is the Crazy Craft heat which includes some great prizes. Thie event will include a kids’ fun race with prizes and children can also get their faces
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start to get a little out of breath, I might pass out, so I go sit down. The tests are all futile and some are aggravating, and then they say, “we can find nothing wrong with you, Mr. Downing!�� Chris: And your spirit? How do you keep your spirit healthy? Don: “Live it. Don’t just think about things. Live it. It’s about the Lord.� When asked about what
event in history stands out as being especially good or especially bad, Don’s answer was when the Twin Towers were hit by airplanes. He was in his living room watching the TV and saw the second tower hit with a second airplane. He also remembered years ago when he and Irene sat parked on the shoulder of the road listening to a radio announcer relate the events of the Pearl Harbor attack. Don served in WWII and became 2nd Lieutenant. Don also shared that his proudest moment might have been when watching his sons Larry and Skip play “Bugler’s Holiday� at York High School. “I’ve had so many blessings,� he said. “When they played that song at York High School, the whole place was silent for about 20 seconds and then burst into applause. That was a great
New Principals Welcomed
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A& E 14,-16,21 Business & Finance 17 Calendar of Events 12 Classifieds 31, 32, 36 Computer Lady 16 Health & Fitness 18-20 Home & Business 33-35 Library News 38 Obituaries 28,29 Pets 30 Puzzles 37 Real Estate 26-27, 40 Where To Dine 22-25
The Downings’ home-care nurse Chris Brown, submitted details about her experiences with the couple, and with the help of the couple’s daughter, Diane, and information from Don’s autobiography, she was able to gather information for this article. Chris posed the following questions to the Downings. (Don did most of the talking): Chris: “Please share some wisdom as to how you have thrived on your way to 100-yearsold. Do you eat a special diet? Did you drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes? What advice would you give us to help us make it to 99?� Don: “I smoked from age 12 to 32, twenty years. I never drank. You have to stay busy and I did that. Look around in this house, everything you see that’s made of wood, I built it.� Chris: “Did you read a lot? How do you keep your mind
Health & Fitness A section concerning your health... INSIDE:
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BUSINESS & FINANCE PG 17
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