Balder, Dorothy M. (1923-2017)

BALDER, MILLER, THEVENIN, STOLTENBERG, CRENSHAW, HANSON, BODE, CORNWELL, MOELLER, HUNTER, PETERSON, NIX, BELLOWS, SKOG

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 8/2/2017 at 19:22:20

Dorothy M. Balder
April 24, 1923 - July 8, 2017

Dorothy M. Balder, 94, of Mason City, Iowa, died on Saturday, July 8, 2017, at the Heritage Care and Rehabilitation Center.

The youngest of six children, Dorothy Maxine Thevenin Miller Balder, a daughter of James Virgil and Ora (Irion) Thevenin, was born on April 24, 1923, on a farm in Nokomis Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa. Raised on the farm, she grew to love animals of all kinds, especially the horses she rode to bring food and drink to her father and brothers as they worked in the fields.

At the age of eleven, she confirmed her faith by joining the Methodist Church in Aurelia, Iowa. Moreover, she attended grade school through the tenth grade in Aurelia, Iowa, but graduated from Albert City High School. Next, after attending Tobin Business College in Fort Dodge, she traveled to Buffalo, New York, to work in the office of the Spencer Lens Corp during World War II. Then, she returned to Iowa and worked in the offices of Katz Drug Store and the National Battery Company for the duration of the war.

Her future husband, Clifford W. Miller, was discharged from the Army in the fall of 1945. On November 17, 1945, Dorothy married him at the Aurelia Methodist parsonage. They farmed for fourteen years in Northwest Iowa and Southern Minnesota, before they bought the meat processing plant in Thompson, Iowa, which they named Miller’s Frozen Foods. In 1974, however, they sold the Thompson plant and bought a smaller plant in Stratford, Iowa, which they called Miller’s Meats & Processing. They operated these family owned businesses with their daughters Dianne and Joan working alongside their parents until the girls reached adulthood and pursued other careers. Clifford died in 1984 in Stratford.

On October 19, 1985, Dorothy married her high school friend, Roy Balder, of Pocahontas. They volunteered for the Heifer Project International and spent twelve winters on the HPI ranch near Perryville, Arkansas. A certified Lay Speaker in both the Iowa and Arkansas conferences, Dorothy along with Roy spent many Sundays in small United Methodist Churches that did not have a pastor. She would deliver a sermon and play the piano for the service. Roy died in 2012 in Albert City. A faithful servant, Dorothy taught Sunday school classes, directed choirs, played the organ, and served as a church secretary for many years in many different United Methodist Churches. She organized quilting groups, senior citizens groups, and special events such as polka services. A fifty-year member of the order of the Eastern Star, she played an active role in the communities in which she and Cliff had businesses – serving as president of the local Chamber of Commerce and working on Community Development Committees.

Dorothy is survived by her daughters, Dianne (Arlo) Stoltenberg, of Mason City, Iowa, and Joan Crenshaw, of St. Charles, Missouri; her grandchildren: Dr. Heidi (Phil Hanson) Stoltenberg, of Albert Lea, Minnesota, Jackie (Nick) Bode, of St. Charles, Missouri, Meredith Crenshaw, of Chesterfield, Missouri, and Danny Crenshaw, of St. Charles, Missouri; six great-grandchildren: Charlie, Anya, Nora, Connor, Tucker, and Clayton; her nieces and nephews: Gordon (Joan) Cornwell; Lance Hunter; LuAnn (Dana) Moeller; Angie and Steve (Melody) Sherrill; and Brian, Bruce (Beverly), James, and Joel (Jan) Thevenin; and a niece-in-law: Charlene Peterson, and their children were all very special to Dorothy.

Roy’s children and extended family generously included Dorothy in their family. A special thanks goes to Julie (Steve) Nix, Dennis Balder, Janet (Bob) Bellows, and Betty (Jeff) Bollard, their children and grandchildren for welcoming Dorothy into their family. Dorothy had a loving relationship with Roy’s sister-in-law, Darlene Balder and her children, David (Paula) and Gary (Christina) Balder and Diane (Dale) Skog.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, her husbands, Clifford Miller and Roy Balder, and her siblings Mildred, Freda, Elizabeth (Hazel), Ralph & Merrill.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 29, 2017, at the United Methodist Church, 31 Valor Road, Aurelia, Iowa, with Rev. Thomas Peterson officiating. Memorials may be directed to the First United Methodist Church, 119 S. Georgia, Mason City, Iowa 50401, or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Major Erickson Funeral Home & Crematory, Mason City, Iowa, 2017.

Buena Vista Obituaries maintained by Lynn Diemer-Mathews.
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