Phyllis Elaine (Cushinberry) Downing, age 77, of Atchison, Kansas, passed peacefully on March 3, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Atchison, Kansas, and was the last living child of Paul Cushinberry, Sr., and Alta (Smith) Cushinberry. She went to Lincoln Grade School and is a graduate of Atchison High School.
Phyllis married the love of her life, Clifford A. Downing, Jr., on October 9, 1966, and they started a life of love and created a beautiful family together. Phyllis began her professional career at AT&T on the switchboard until taking a role at USD 409 as a paraprofessional and later a secretary for a total of over thirty years.
She enjoyed softball in the summertime and was a true competitor at heart. It did not matter if you were her child or grandchild, she still wanted to beat you when you were playing any kind of game! Phyllis changed the lives of numerous children by taking on the role of a foster parent for over thirty years of her life.
Phyllis’s immense and unending love for her family and friends was evident in the way she lived her life. She was always there for others and to support for community. She was a lifelong community activist for north Atchison and was on too many committees to even begin to list but was very proud of her work with Juneteenth. She loved sharing meals with others, and if there was an event that she was cooking for, you always knew she was designated for her Mac & Cheese and Sweet Potatoes-they were the best! Her bright spirit and desire to make a constant change in the world will be greatly missed by so many.
She is survived by her children, Clifton Eugene Downing, Paula Elaine Downing, Ethel Mae Downing, and LeAnne Renee Downing; ten grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, two grandsons, two great-grandchildren, and her siblings.
Services will be on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 11:00 am at the First Christian Church, 301 N. 7th Street, Atchison, KS. The family will receive friends for a time of visitation on that Saturday morning, beginning at 10 am before the service at the church. Phyllis will be laid to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery. Funeral care is being provided by the Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home.
