Professor Roger G.H. Downer

I will forever treasure the memories of walking up the Cliffs of Moher and around the garden with Grandpa this past summer, among so many other lovely times spent together. It was a gift also to exchange stories, poetry, and art over email with him when we were not in the same place. I am certain he knew how much he meant and means to all of us, and that is a great comfort!

As always, I am sending so much ongoing love and care to my Mum, Grandma, Aunt Tara, Uncle Kevin & and all my wonderful family. xoxoxo

My condolences to Roger’s family on his death. He showed great kindness as President of UL, which I remember fondly as a former student.

Dear Jean and family - I was saddened to hear of Roger’s passing. He was the quintessential gentleman and scholar, and I will always be grateful for his influence on my life and career. I was fortunate beyond measure to have spent time in his laboratory at the Unuversity of Waterloo. I remember his intellect, great wit and kindnesses.. His ability to quote poetry and make wonderful puns was remarkable, as were his many accomplishments I wish for you and your family grace, strength and much love. Aye, Bill

Dear Jean, Roger was a good friend to me while he was President at UL and indeed afterwards. What marked him out was his civility and integrity at a time when such qualities could not always be taken for granted. P-A and I will always be grateful for the kindness you both showed to P-A after a road accident which hospitalised her. In his quiet and unassuming way Roger wrought changes in the University that have stood the test of time. We send our condolences to you and all the family.

To the Downer family I want to express my condolences to you all on the very sad passing of Rodger. It is with deep regret that I have just come across the knowledge that he has passed away after bravely fighting for years with cancer. He was a friendly,gentleman and I will always remember meeting him at my graduatation when he was president of UL Campus

My sincere condolences to Tara & family

I would like to send my sincere condolences to the whole Downer family. They were such very good neighbours and I enjoyed teaching Tara and taking her to France with my WCI students.
Love to you all and please dwell on your happy memories of Roger.

Sincere Sympathy to Jean, Tara, Aidan, Adam, Emmett, Haylay & the extended Downer families on the sad passing of your Dad/Grandad. May he rest in peace.

Dear Jean,
We are very sorry for Roger's passing. Our thoughts are with you and your Family at this difficult time.
With deepest sympathies to you and your Family.
Chuck and Helga

My deepest sympathies to Tara and family. Roger was a true gentleman . Rest in Peace.

Dear Jean and the Downer family, I was so very sad to learn of Roger’s passing, may he Rest in Peace. He was a gentle and kind person who influenced me greatly and he achieved great things for the University of Limerick in his time as President. My sincere condolences to you at this very sad time. With deepest sympathy Stuart

I was deeply saddened to learn of Roger's recent passing and send my sincere condolences to Jean, Kevin, Katie, Tara and the rest of Roger's family. I was Roger's assistant while he was the VP of Development at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Roger Downer was without a doubt the kindest most humble and compassionate man I had ever met and, as much as I was excited when he got his new post as President of the University of Limerick, I was also very sad to know he was leaving UW since I knew I would never have another boss like him. He was truly one of a kind. Rest in peace my friend.

My sincere sympathies to Tara & the Downer family. May your Dad Roger rest in peace.

My condolences to the Downer family. Roger was a kind and considerate man who made many contributions to UL.

My deepest sympathies to Jean and family. Roger was a true gentleman who made a significant contribution to UL. RIP

Deepest sympathy to Jean and all Roger’s family on your great loss. Roger was a special man possessing many outstanding qualities which allowed him make a major contribution to all the involvements and people he encountered. To be in his company and enjoy his positivity, wit and great humour was always a joy.May he rest in peace.

My heartfelt sympathies to you Jean & your family on Roger’s death. Roger was a true gentleman and a privilege to know. You both made a great team.May Roger rest in peace. Thinking of you & your family at this difficult time .

Caroline and I are hugely saddened by Roger's death. We were truly blessed to have enjoyed Jean and Roger's company for a few hours a month ago on his last visit to Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Tara, Kevin and Katie will miss their father greatly. He was the consummate academic and friend. He always wanted to talk very little about himself and was, instead, much more interested in the health and interests of others. The world has lost a very sincere and talented gentleman. We know he will score a hole-in-one in heaven.

Sincerest sympathy to Jean And all the family on Rogers death. He was a real gentleman and contributed enormously to this region. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Sincere condolences on the passing of Roger. During my time working at the University of Limerick I found him to be friendly and warm yet professional and driven in achieving the best for UL and its future. His legacy lives on . Rest in Peace

Our sincere condolences on the death of Roger Downer. We have many fond memories of our times together at All Saints Anglican Church in Waterloo, Ontario. Blessings to Jean and all the family.

Sincere sympathy to Jean and family on Roger's passing. Reading the sad news brought back many good memories of times working together during his time as President of the University of Limerick and a Board member of Shannon Development. Roger was consistent in his ability to gain support for a position or issue with passion, professionalism and his engaging personality. May he rest in peace.

Our deepest sympathy to the family on the sad loss of Roger. He was a friend and an inspiring leader to all of us at UL

Jean, Sheelagh and I were very sad to hear of Roger's passing - too late to attend his funeral. It was a pleasure to know him and to view his many achievements from a distance. His contributions to higher education in Ireland will be long remembered. May he rest in peace.

I was very sorry to learn of Roger's passing and my sincere condolences to Jean, Tara and the rest of the Downer family. Roger was exceptionally supportive of me when I had the privilege of working at UL and the President's office. I was well encouraged to further my education too and without that crucial support I don't think I would ever have completed my degree or enjoyed the benefits. Roger was a gentleman and a modest man who served UL so well and I am very glad to have somewhat known him. An important part of the fabric and pride taken in UL, by staff, students, alumni and communities at home and abroad.

Roger was a true gentleman and will be sadly missed by all that knew him.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Downer family at this sad and lonely time.
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Our sincere condolences to Jean and family for their sad loss.

Our deepest sympathy on the passing of Roger.
May he rest in peace.

Our deepest sympathy to Jean & family on the passing of Roger. We met Roger on just a small number of occasions, but when we did he was pleasure to be with, a gentleman, May he rest in peace.

Sincere sympathy to Jean and family on the death of Roger. He is fondly remembered from his time in UL.

Prof Downer was very kind to me when I first joined UL. My godfather, Dr John MacDonald, had worked with him in Canada and that mutual contact led to an invitation for tea in the White House. A year or two later, my daughter and his granddaughter played together at the Toronto airport when they were both toddlers. It was a lovely moment at a stressful time. I remember Rodger fondly and will keep the Downer family in my thoughts and prayers.

Deepest sympathy to Jean and all the Downer family on the sad passing of Roger, a true gentleman. May he rest in peace.

Deepest sympathies to Jean, Kevin, Katie and Tara and to the extended Downer family at this very difficult time. The Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP) family will not forget Roger's valuable contribution, as a member of the Board for many years. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h'anam dílis.

Jean and family, please accept my sincere sympathy on the death of Roger. I have very fond memories of his time as Chairman of the Hunt Museum and his commitment to the Arts in the Mid West. May he rest in peace.

Condolences to the Downer family on the passing of Roger. A lovely man. May he Rest in Peace.

We are deeply saddened at the passing of our great friend Roger.
A man who contributed so meaningfully to the region across many sectors, in a kind understated way.
Our sincere sympathy is extended to Jean, Kevin, Katie, Tara and the wider Downer family.
May he Rest in Peace.

A gentleman. May he rest in peace

I would like to express my sincere sympathy and condolences to the Downer family on the passing of Roger. You all are in my prayers at these difficult times.

Sincere sympathy to the Downer family on the death of Roger.He was a fine leader, gentleman and friend. May he rest in peace.

Our sincere condolences to Jean and Family on Roger’s sad passing.
Roger was always a strong kind and supportive presence during his leadership of UL.
May he rest in peace.

Deepest sympathy to Tara, Aiden and all your family on the sad loss of your Dad,

My condolences to Jean and the family on Roger's death. He was always very supportive and encouraging to me in UL. We found we had mutual friends in Waterloo when he joined UL. He left an indelible mark on the campus but more importantly he is remembered as a nice man. He is remembered with fondness by all who met him.

Tara my sincere condolences to you and your family at this difficult time.

Roger Downer was an exceptional person: a loyal friend to many who recognised his humanity, compassion and good company, a sensitive educational leader who always retained respect and often affection as he achieved significant change and development at universities in North America, Asia and Europe. Roger will be missed by many, not least by Jean and his family to whom we extend our heartfelt sympathy.

Sincere sympathy to Jean and the extended Downer family on the passing of Roger - RIP

I met Roger a few times when he visited Galway. A gentleman who I was fortunate to have known him.

ar dheis de ar a anam

Sincere sympathy to Jean and all the Downer Family on the sad passing of Roger, He loved rugby. It was a privilege to have served as Joint President of ULBOHS with him in 2006/7, may he Rest In Peace.

Deepest sympathy to Tara, Aidan, Adam, Emmett, Hayley and the extended Downer family on the death of Roger. May he rest in peace.

Sincere sympathy to Tara and family on the sad passing of your Dad. May he Rest in Peace.

Sincere condolences to Tara and family on the passing of your dad, may he rest in peace

Our sincere sympathy to Jean and the extended Downer family on the passing of Roger. May he rest in peace.

Sincere sympathy to Jean and all the family on the death of your beloved Roger. May Roger RIP. From Sean & Mary Collins

Condolences to Tara, Aiden and extended Downer family.

Dear Jean
My deepest sympathy to you and your family on the death of dear Roger. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this very sad and difficult time. May Roger rest in peace.

Deepest sympathy to Jean and family on the passing of Roger. His significant contribution to the development of UL at a time of change and necessary consolidation was key to the university's progress, laying a real foundation for many successful initiatives. Time will tell of the success of these and how they were achieved.
May his scholarly spirit and noble soul rest in peace.

Our deepest sympathies to the Downer family on the passing of Roger. May he rest in peace

Sincere condolences to Jean, Tara and all the Downer family on the death of Roger RIP.

Jean and family, sympathies on your loss. Roger had a capacity for courageous decisions. His appointment of me as faculty Dean in 2000 was such a decision. I had no management experience and was a former course director in Women’s Studies with a reputation for being ‘stroppy’. He was able to transfer his understanding of sectarianism to gender inequality - an unusual ability even to day. Ar Dheis De…

Sincere sympathy to Jean and family on the passing Roger to his eternal reward. It has been my great privilege to have known and collaborated with Roger for the past 14 years Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Our deepest sympathy to Jean and all the Downer family on the sad death of Roger. RIP. He was an absolute gentleman who gave so much to the world.