Dr. Elinor Whitney Fosdick Downs died of natural causes on April 13, 2020 at Springhouse, her Residential Community in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts at the age of 108, embraced in person by her daughter and (virtually) by her son, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family who were with her in spirit but could not be present because of the coronavirus.

Her life can only be described as remarkable. Dr. Downs, the daughter of Harry Emerson Fosdick, the noted pastor of Riverside Church in New York City, grew up in Montclair, New Jersey and the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She attended Horace Mann High School in New York and then Smith College, along with her sister Dorothy Fosdick and a cousin Ginny Whitney.

When she graduated from Smith College in 1933 with a desire to be a doctor, she was told no school would admit her because of gender bias. She said, “Well at least I can try,” and was admitted to her first choice, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. When she graduated, she was told no hospital would give her an internship. She said, “Well at least I can try,” and was given an internship at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester in 1937. There she met her future husband, Dr. Roger Downs, who was a resident physician.

She specialized in pediatrics, and after finishing her training, she married Roger on Mouse Island in Boothbay Harbor, Maine in the summer of 1939. On Dec. 7, 1941 (ironically Pearl Harbor Day), the two opened a practice together in Litchfield, Connecticut. However, Roger was drafted into the Navy in 1942 leaving Elinor to keep the practice going. Roger died in 1945 while preparing for the anticipated invasion of Japan, leaving her with two young children, Patricia and Stephen. She never remarried.

After Roger’s death, Dr. Downs moved with her children to New York and became the Bronxville School physician. In 1948, she and her children moved to Geneva, Switzerland to work at the World Health Organization focusing on global health issues, returning two years later to the U.S.

She joined the American Public Health Association where she wrote state of the art documents highlighting the public health perspectives on polio prevention, mental health programs, and programs for children with disabilities among others. In 1960 she joined the faculty of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University where she had an extremely significant impact on building the maternal and child health programs at the school. As a Fellow in Epidemiology, she did pioneering field work on Nutritional Epidemiology in Arab Refugee camps in the Middle East, introduced scores of students from around the world to the public health functions of New York City, and rose to become the Associate Dean of the school before she retired in 1981.

After retiring at the age of 70, Dr. Downs embarked on a life of adventure, visiting the Arctic, Antarctic, Amazon basin, China, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, making many friends around the world.

A lifelong interest in archeology that had been kindled by her childhood discoveries of Native American artifacts on the beaches of Maine, blossomed in retirement. She took archeological classes in Harvard’s Graduate School, MIT and the University of Massachusetts Boston. One of her published papers alerted both researchers and archaeologists to the need for caution in reporting and interpreting unconfirmed test results on ancient blood proteins.

She developed into a noted senior artist who won awards for her paintings, cartoons, and archeological drawings. She entertained the residents of Springhouse with many of her paintings and cartoons over the 25 years she lived there.

She never seemed to get old, and after she wrote her autobiography, she kept having to write updated versions because her life continued to be active and interesting well into her century of existence. She finally stopped driving (stick shift!) at 101 when her license expired and she was afraid the Registry would query her abilities. She was never happier than when she was on a beach near her summer home in Southport, beachcombing for artifacts that she eventually donated to the University of Maine at Orono.

Despite being the daughter of Harry Emerson Fosdick, Elinor did not regularly attend church but had deep convictions on the basic goodness of human beings. She welcomed everyone and their faiths enthusiastically.

Known as “Fuzzy” for her soft frizzy hair, and “Omi” by her family, she was treasured by all for her warmth, simplicity, humor, humility, and her beguiling smile. She avoided disasters by calling them “adventures” and reveled in living life fully. At a recent party for centenarians she was asked what was her secret to longevity. She thought a minute and said “I just don’t die.” In her autobiography “Who Am I?” she wrote about herself “I am proud of my heritage and take comfort in the strength of my background. Along with my kinky hair, I must have inherited a certain sense of personal and social responsibility, a spirit of adventure, a touch of ease with non-conformity, and a streak of independence. I don’t need to seek status or recognition - I feel free! And as I look ahead to the future, I like to imagine that I am a conduit to the next generation, my children, my grandchildren, and my great-grandchildren.”

She is survived by her daughter Dr. Patricia Downs Berger of Brookline MA, her son, Stephen F. Downs, Esq, of Albany NY,  her grandchildren, Margot Downs and Paul Faulstich of Yarmouth ME, Roger Downs and Meredith Hummel, of New Baltimore NY, Philip Downs and Jillian Wootten Downs, of Durham NC., Ilana Berger and Eli Dueker of Kingston NY, Shana Berger, of Somerville  MA, her nine great grandchildren, Ava and Louise Downs, Hazel and Henry Downs, Maya and Anna Faulstich, Hannah Dueker, Rosie Berger, and Isaiah Berger, cousins Deborah Hall, Rufus Jones, Nathaniel Jones, and Candy Jones, nephews Downs Mallory, Michael Mallory, and niece Marilyn Mallory.  In her final years, she was supported by several dedicated home health aides, who made it possible for her to remain in her own apartment as she desired - particularly Brenda Morris, Makda Mulat and Haregwin Tedla.

Celebrations of life will be held on future dates in the Boston area and burial in Southport.

Contributions may be made in Fuzzy’s memory to: Riverside Church Social Justice Fund: https://www.trcnyc.org/honoringelinor/

Care Fund for Domestic Workers: https://domesticworkers.org/coronavirus-care-fund

Boothbay Region Student Aid Fund: http://www.brsaf.org/