Sophie E. Downing

Funeral service for Sophie Edith Downing, age 103, of Emory, will be held at 2:00 p.m., Monday, October 3, 2022, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Emory, Texas.

Sophie was born on September 22, 1919, to Vincent and Alice Kerzinski in Eveleth, Minnesota.  She passed away on September 26, 2022, in Greenville, Texas.

Sophie was the first woman from Virginia, Minnesota to enlist in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), she enlisted to serve her country in 1943.  She was a faithful member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Emory and enjoyed raising her own vegetables and canning and freezing them for the cold northern winter ahead and was, also, an avid gardener and a master seamstress, knitter and crocheter. 

She is survived by her daughter, Paulette Puttonen and husband Allan; sons, James Downing and wife Kathleen, Thomas Downing and wife Barbara; grandchildren, Michael Puttonen and wife Francine, Jon Puttonen and wife Lisa, Paul Puttonen and wife Sonia; and many great grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, brothers, Walter Kerzinski, Edward Kerzinski and Stanley Kerzinski.