Cora Lee Downs

Cora was born December 13, 1958, to parents George and Janet Downs of Calwell, Idaho, into a family of four older sisters, one older brother, and three older nieces.

She was small compared to other children her age, but as she began to grow up, it became clear she was a capable little person with ideas about how things should be done. She kept her little doll house in good order and lovingly played with and cared for her stuffed animal toys.

One day our neighbors gave us a kitten and Cora immediately became his friend and caretaker. She dressed him in doll clothes, fed him with a bottle, and pushed him around in a doll buggy – and he loved it. Mom said one day, she came into the kitchen to make the morning coffee and found us at the table eating cereal and milk and we had set a bowl of cereal on the table for the cat and he was standing on his hind legs in a chair and eating at his place at the table with us.

Cora’s best friend was Scotty, the neighbor boy across the street. They were always playing on the swing set, making houses or forts out of cushions off of the furniture or leaves in the yard and imagining all sorts of adventures. As we grew up, the play turned into backyard baseball, badminton, lawn darts, any any over, and overnight camp outs in the summer.

When Cora started school, she was a good student and always got good grades. She excelled in English composition and her papers were often full of wit and satirical comedy. She even talked a history teacher into accepting Richard Armour’s The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody as extra-curricular reading credit because she said a person had to know his history in order to understand the wry humor and satirical lampooning involved in the corny stories about events and people of the past.

Cora learned to play the piano at an early age and was a good musician. She had good memory and could play by ear and read music to learn new pieces. She eventually learned to play the concertina, accordion, and best of all in the era of 70’s rock-n-roll, the guitar. 

In her high school years, Cora began to earn spending money babysitting. She always seemed to enjoy taking care of the children she watched, and children seemed to really like Cora.

Cora was baptized into the Christian faith in the Treasure Valley Christian Church of Caldwell, Idaho, not long after she graduated from high school. 

Cora was always industrious and busy learning new things. She learned needlework and sewing and made some of her own clothes. She also did cross stitch and embroidery and gave some of her creations as gifts to others. One of Cora’s best talents was baking. She was always careful of her own weight and figure but was always tempting the rest of us with some new bread or dessert we couldn’t resist.

Cora married Stephen Bringhurst on April 25, 1980, and they resided in Nampa, Idaho, for fifteen years. She later met and became an employee and companion of veterinarian Dr. Mark Kruchowsky, and they resided in Fruitland, Idaho, for eight years until Mark’s death. Cora formed a bond with Mark’s son, Ivan, that has endured these many years.  They were good friends and Cora mothered Ivan and worried that he just did not take good care of himself as she thought he should.  She was mom to Ivan and grandma to his pets.

Cora had many interesting cats she took in and cared for over her lifetime. She spoiled them all and they loved it.

Her lifelong love of animals led her to work for Mark and later for the Idaho Veterinary Hospital of Nampa, Idaho. She assisted wherever she was needed and often cared for the animals overnight after surgery. She continually applied herself to learn what was needed for her work, and at one time was even learning Spanish to converse with clients about their pets’ healthcare. She was a long-term, valued employee and friend of the staff of the veterinary hospital.

Cora entered into rest on Saturday, July 27, 2024, at her home in Ontario, Oregon, after a long illness beginning in the spring of 2024. We can’t help but feel we just did not do enough for Cora, or that we did not know enough to do the right things for her. The feeling of inadequacy and failure presses upon us. We will miss Cora and grieve the loss of her very special life but understand that we will be reunited with her on resurrection day when we will be with her in the presence of the Lord. We trust and believe His words that He has prepared a mansion for us in glory where we will dwell with Him in the House of the Lord forever.

Cora is preceded in death by her parents, George and Janet Downs; and her sister, Betty Sevy of Caldwell. Cora is survived by her sisters: Bernice Sexton of Caldwell, Anna McFarland of Meridian, and Georgette Eells of Marsing; and brother, Dennis Downs of Caldwell.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, August 7th at 10:00 am at Flahiff Funeral Chapel, Caldwell, with a graveside service to immediately follow at Peaceful Valley Cemetery, 11357 Riverside Road, Caldwell. Services are under the direction of Flahiff Funeral Chapel, Caldwell. (208) 459-0833