Jessie LaNell Downing, 81, a longtime Andrews’s resident and respected educator in the Andrews Independent School District, has passed away on Tuesday, July 19, 2016 in Lubbock, Texas.

Family and friends will gather to celebrate her life at 10:00 AM Thursday, July 21, 2016 at Means Memorial United Methodist Church with Rev. Les Hall and Rev. Rick Doyle officiating. Interment will follow in the Andrews West Cemetery under the personal care of McNett Funeral Home. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at McNett Funeral Home. Please celebrate the life of LaNell by visiting www.mcnettfuneralhome.com.

She was born LaNell Cockerell in 1935 in Breckinridge, Texas and attended North Texas State College where she got her teaching degree. She moved to Andrews in the late 1950’s and not long after began a long and distinguished teaching career that lasted thirty-three years. LaNell was known for her artful staging of her kindergarten classrooms, which were rich in fantasy and fun. Many of her students remember the playhouse shaped like a giant shoe in the center of the room, which was based on the old nursery rhyme “There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, she had so many children, she didn’t know what to do.” Mrs. Downing transformed that playhouse every year into a Turkey for Thanksgiving, Santa’s workshop for Christmas, and an Easter Bunny for Easter. Every year she would direct the children in a Valentine Dreamland Pageant complete with costumes, choreography and music. LaNell was very passionate about her work and spent many late nights and weekends creating an interesting learning space and projects for her students. When she needed construction assistance, she called upon her husband, Johnnie Lee Downing, a lease operator for Shell Oil Company, who was always willing and able to help bring her designs to life.

LaNell was an active member of Means Memorial Methodist Church where she taught Sunday school and made many seasonal Art Boards for the Church. As well as being a talented Artist, LaNell was a very quick wit and extremely charming. At large family dinners she would often have everyone in stitches the entire evening. While those who only knew her professionally cherished her company and work ethic.

LaNell married Johnnie in 1958 and had three children, Danny, Greg and Debra. She was a devoted mother and extended her creative talents into her parenting style at home. She was very supportive and kind to her children and injected her creativity into helping them with their school projects. She was also a devoted grandmother and would always get down on the floor and play with the little ones whenever they came to visit.

LaNell and Johnnie enjoyed 57 years of a happy marriage, and loved to make each other laugh and confide in one another. A constant comfort to her, Johnnie was at her side as she crossed over. LaNell is survived by Johnnie, their three children, Danny Downing and wife Sasha, Greg Downing and companion Linda Wyler, Debra Downing and husband Peter Grosz, and six grandchildren, Logan Downing, Carson Downing, Jake Downing, Rusty Downing, Abraham Grosz and Alyssa Smith. LaNell was preceded in death by a sister, Inez Dickinson.

She will always be remembered as someone who could light up a room, no matter how dark.

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