Bishop Simeon Lindo Downs, Sr.: He founded a church and led it for 37 years
This story is part of an ongoing Miami Herald series chronicling the lives of South Florida COVID-19 victims.
Bishop Simeon Lindo Downs, Sr., left three lessons for his family: work hard, remember that life without Christ is meaningless, and treat everyone as equals.
Downs, who died April 13 from complications from COVID-19, founded the Triumphant Church of God of Prophecy in Goulds in 1983, serving as its pastor for 37 years.
“He had a wealth of knowledge and he was a very honest human,” said his wife Jacinth Downs. “Looking at him, you would not know what he carried. He was a man of wisdom.”
Downs was born in Saint Ann, Jamaica, on January 1, 1937. He was 83 years old.
He was the seventh of eight children and lived on the island until he was 17 years old. He owned a business that built houses throughout Jamaica and mastered trades from carpentry to electricity to plumbing.
Downs worked briefly in the Bahamas and Bermuda, then moved to Miami, where he worked for 39 years at Construction Research Lab testing building material. He met his first wife, Martha Kemp Downs, in Miami and with her had three children: Dannelle, Simeon ll, and Benjamin. According to Downs’ obituary, Kemp Downs preceded him in death.
Downs set an example of hard work, often applying his mechanical skills to help his children repair cars or work through life problems. Sometimes he would tell his son, Benjamin, “don’t cut the mule.”
“Pretty much what that meant was, ‘Hurry up, don’t drag your feet, get dressed; time to go,’” Benjamin Downs said. “And that is always with me.”
With donations from members and friends, he was able to pay for the construction of the church building at 21450 SW 112th Ave. without any loans. In 2010, he set out to start a new building, which his family said they plan to complete.
In 2014, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez declared April 27 as Bishop Simeon Lindo Downs, Sr. Day. Downs, he said, had “been steadfast in his mission... extending love and showing others the way of the Lord.”
Downs tested positive for COVID-19 in late March, although the hospital said he died due to pre-existing conditions and heart failure.
He will be remembered fondly by his family and congregation. He had six grandchildren — Zion, Azahria, Jayla, Hezekiah, Abigail, and Olivia — siblings, in-laws William and Aaleah, nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.
“I will always remember him for his demeanor,” said Jacinth Downs. “In the sense that he did not allow other people’s behavior to change who he was. Whatever he preached as a prophet, he did it at home. He was the same person anywhere.”
