Denny Downs

Dennis L. Downs, of Shakopee, passed away April 30, 2026 at the age of 83. He will be missed by his family and friends.

A Memorial Gathering will be held at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation (833 S. Marshall Road) in Shakopee on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM with a Remembrance Service at 6:00 PM followed by Military Honors. Denny will be laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery during a private family interment.

On December 15, 1942, Dennis Leslie Downs was born to John & Emma (Peliquin) Downs. Denny was the youngest of four children and loved growing up on the Eastside of St. Paul. Some of his favorite memories from that era revolved around racing his 55 Chevy up and down University Avenue.

After graduating from Harding High School, Denny enlisted in the United States Air Force. He proudly served his country for four years and was stationed in Germany. Following his return, Denny met the love of his life, Margaret “Tootie” Johnson. They were set up on a blind date by Denny’s nephew and had their first date at a bowling alley. Denny & Tootie were married on May 28, 1966. Shortly after their wedding, Denny reenlisted with the Air Force and was deployed to Viet Nam. He was honorably discharged for the second time in 1970.

Denny & Tootie settled in Shakopee to start their family. They had two sons, Brian and Curt. As a family, they enjoyed tenting, family road trips and fishing. Denny loved the outdoors and passed this love on to the next generations teaching his sons and grandkids to hunt and fish.

Throughout his life, Denny held a variety of maintenance positions. He was very handy and could fix anything. All of his friends, family and neighbors came to Denny for help. He was a talented welder and fabricator. He paid great attention to detail and made items with the highest level of quality. He built everything from his house to boat trailers – Curt and Carrie still have the jumper cables he made for them when they were first married. Denny loved being in his shop; he was quite the collector and could find value in just about anything. Even in retirement, Denny kept building boat trailers and even helped Curt at his business. Denny always kept busy!

When he wasn’t working on a project, Denny enjoyed deer hunting and bass fishing. He won many trophies over the years for the biggest fish. Denny was also an accomplished skydiver logging 500+ jumps. He also loved spending time with his family – especially the grandkids. He passed on many life lessons to them. Although his teaching style wasn’t formal, he always got his point across.

Denny was a complex man with many sides to him. He was kind, stern, generous and stubborn. Denny was one of a kind, and his family loved him for it. He will be remembered always by his wife, Margaret "Tootie" Downs; sons, Brian (Anntonett) Downs & Curt (Carrie) Downs; grandchildren, Mackenzie (Parker Uphoff) Downs, Jackson (Breighann) Downs, Amanda (Taylor) Flicek & Eric (Riley Flynn) Downs; other loving relatives and friends. Denny is preceded by his parents, John & Emma Downs; siblings, Leonard (Lou) Downs, Dorothy (Jim) Rocca & Loretta (Tony) Laumeyer; brother-in-law & dear friend, Bob Johnson.