Michael ‘Mike’ John Downey

Michael “Mike” John Downey, 70, of Charles City, was welcomed home to the Lord in the early morning of March 31, 2025, in Rochester, Minnesota.

We will honor Mike’s life and legacy with a viewing at 10 a.m. and service at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at Gospel Lighthouse Church, Floyd, Iowa, with Pastor Paul Phillips officiating.

Mike was born Feb. 8, 1955, to Robert John “R.J.” and Joanne (Funk) Downey at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The fourth in a family of eight siblings, and the first son, Mike learned how to negotiate and get along with people. The Downey household on 24th Street in Marion became the center of activity with an open-door policy for neighborhood kids, classmates, and friends.

Mike grew in his love of nature, hard work, and homemade pies through weeks in the summer spent at his Uncle Charles’s farm near Garnavillo, Iowa. He attended St. Joseph Catholic School through 8th grade. In his teenage years, he spent his nights stocking shelves at Hy-Vee and his days running two paper routes. After one year at Regis High School, Mike transferred to and graduated from Linn-Mar High School in 1973, where he participated in Cross Country and Golf.

As a young boy, he served as an altar boy at St. Joseph in Marion. While listening to the priest ask the question, “Who will go and serve the Lord?” Mike clearly answered, “I will.” This early obedience to the voice of God was the foundation of his life of sacrifice and love for the Lord. In his dorm room during his freshman year at Iowa State University, Mike dedicated his life to the Lord through the ministry of the Navigators. Ever since being discipled by the Navigators at ISU, Mike’s greatest joy was making disciples, teaching, encouraging, and challenging them to grow in depth of knowledge and insight of the Lord. Knowing others continued their walk with God years after being discipled was truly humbling and fulfilling for him.

After ISU graduation, he met Colleen Johnson while she was a cook and he worked maintenance at East Iowa Bible Camp. They were married on November 24, 1978, at Alamo Community Church in Alamo, Texas. The young couple returned to West Liberty, Iowa, where Mike taught high school economics and history. God opened the doors for him to attend Trinity Divinity School to receive his Master’s of Divinity. Mike graduated 6 weeks after the birth of their first son, Justus Michael Daniel (1985).

Mike’s dedication to the lives of young people moved him to become the Youth Pastor at Crystal Lake Free Church in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Mike deeply loved and treasured the special relationships built with the young adults in the Youth Group. While living in the church parsonage, the family welcomed three more children: Austin Robert Johnson (1988); Luke Thomas Gordon (1990); and Chloe Frances Colleen (1993).

Mike, Colleen, and the kids moved to Charles City in 1994 to take a position as pastor at the Charles City Evangelical Free Church. When the family was considering the move, he said he “wanted to live in a place where people knew his name.” He took seriously his responsibility to serve the congregation, rarely missing a Sunday service. He was especially excited to share the Gospel through the distribution of the Jesus videos throughout Floyd and Butler Counties. Their family was completed with Victoria Faith Mae (1996).

The greater community of Charles City was his broader calling. He loved his office space on Main Street, and later the permanent location for the Free Church at the corner of Hulin and Main Street. He considered himself the “Main Street Pastor” as he took it upon himself to know the people and businesses of Main Street. Everyone was important to him, and he remembered their names. He was committed to the practice of peaceful prayer walks around town. Over the years, he has been involved in the Ministerial Board, FOCUS (Freeing Our Communities of Unhealthy Substances) Board, and Habitat for Humanity, including the building of two homes in Charles City. This regular involvement led him to be awarded the 2006 Charles City Man of the Year. Recently, he revitalized his love of history by being a docent at the Carrie Lane Chapman Catt Girlhood Home. Most importantly, he was a firm believer in the preservation of life, the power of prayer, and the spread of the Gospel through missions. Through it all, he was a man of peace.

He was a wonderful, ever-present dad who lovingly guided and took a personal interest in each of his children’s lives. In his spare time, he was a long-distance biker, swimmer, camper, golfer, and regular Wall Street Journal reader. The Public Library staff will have more time to work now, as he would regularly have them make copies of articles which he would then share with his family and friends. He was always up for a round of Risk, Chess, Blokus, or Ticket to Ride.

Mike is survived by his partner in life, ministry, and wife of 46 years, Colleen, their five children, three children-in-law, and three grandsons. Justus (Amy), Simon and Calvin of Greenville, SC, Austin of Columbia, SC, Luke of Chesapeake, VA, Chloe (Ethan), Rowan McNeese of Garner, IA and Victoria (Sam) Hinman of Houston, TX, his seven siblings, Kathy (Terry) Mowhinkle, Teresa (Clark) White, Patricia (Duke) Vilutis, Kurt (Deb) Downey, Don (Marilynne) Downey, John (Cathy) Downey, David (Wendy) Downey and many beloved nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, R.J. and Joannie Downey, two beloved nephews, and one great-nephew.

In lieu of flowers, please consider placing a donation in his name to Hope Family Resource Center in Charles City, Hidden Acres Christian Center of Dayton, Iowa, or the Charles City Evangelical Free Church.

Hauser Weishaar Funeral Home, (641) 228-2323, 1205 South Main Street, Charles City, Iowa 50616 is in charge of local arrangements. Online condolences may be left on the Tribute Wall for the family at www.hauserfh.com.