Kallmer, Dorcas (1914-2014)
KALLMER, MCPHERRIN, BANE, HUMBURG, SKINNER, MCARTHUR
Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 4/7/2014 at 19:27:50
Dorcas Kallmer
May 19, 1914 - March 07, 2014Storm Lake, Iowa
Dorcas Kallmer, age 99, of Storm Lake, Iowa, died on Friday, March 7, 2014, at the Methodist Manor Retirement Community in Storm Lake. With her passing, Storm Lake loses one of her true grand ladies. Her circle of friends and acquaintances spanned the country from the shakers and movers of the town to the rural farm women. A mentor to a generation of 4H girls, she also gave generously to many noble causes and to those in need. Her name adorns the Kallmer Education Center at the hospital and the baby grand piano at Lake Pointe Villa. In addition, she donated a bus to the Presbyterian Church.
Dorcas, Dorothy, and Doris, the triplets born to Mr. and Mrs. John McPherrin of rural Oakland, Iowa, were life-long best friends. Another sister, Mary, came along three years later. Altogether, the three triplets weighed scarcely ten pounds at birth. Because of their delicate health, their parents kept them indoors until they were ten, a situation they found most annoying. More than once, they had to endure sitting in the window while watching their younger, roughneck sister, Mary, frolicking outside in the snow.
The family had horses which they usually enjoyed riding. One time, however, Dorcas was riding behind Mary on the horse “Buck,” so named and for good reason. If any rider moved a foot too far back to its flank, it would buck that rider off. Sure enough, Mary landed on Dorcas’ arm, and Dorcas sustained a broken arm.
With its big, long hills, Pottawattamie County is so long it has two county seats. The girls had a half mile to walk to their first school, a one-room school down in the valley. Today only a few trees mark the spot. In due time, however, they graduated from Oakland High School.
Using their musical talents, the triplets formed their own trio with Doris on piano and Dorothy on violin. Dorcas played the cello. Dorcas also played with the Oakland town Orchestra Band long before schools offered Band as an elective.
The three of them went away to college first at Columbia, Missouri, where they shared a large room, then to Maryville, Missouri. All three began working as teachers. Dorcas taught school for five years. In time, she worked on her Masters at Fort Collins, Colorado, and Ames, Iowa.
Next, Dorcas became a home economist in Ida County but before long transferred to the larger Buena Vista County. In Storm Lake, she rented the front apartment in the home of Floyd “Stub” Kallmer, then a hard-working businessman and father of three little boys. In 1964, they married. Dorcas, she would say, hit the jackpot: a husband, three boys, and a dog! The dog, Koko, fell in love with Dorcas first. He would go missing every night. “Where is that darn dog?” “Stub” would ask as if he didn’t know. He would jump in his pickup and drive over to Dorcas’. “Bad dog!”
A prominent member of many organizations, Dorcas received numerous awards while living in Buena Vista County including the Distinguished Service Award for outstanding work for the county and the 4H Award.
A member of Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Dorcas taught Sunday school and served as a deacon. Active in the school and the community as well as in her church, she also belonged to the Garden Club, Questers, BPW and Wa tan ya.
Those left to cherish her memory include her sister, Dorothy Bane, of Oakland, Iowa; her step-children: William (LaDon) Kallmer, of Omaha, Nebraska, and James (Diane) Kallmer, of Seattle, Washington; and her step-grandchildren: Timothy (Sunny) Kallmer, of Austin, Texas, Cherlyn (Brent) Humburg, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Jonathan (Dylana) Kallmer and Brent Kallmer, of Washington, D.C.; as well as her nieces; nephews; step-great grandchildren; extended family members; and friends.
Dorcas was preceded in death by her husband, Floyd Kallmer; her step-son, Robert Kallmer; and her sisters, Doris Skinner and Mary McArthur.
Visitation: 10:00 a.m., March 13, 2014, at Lakeside Presbyterian Church in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Funeral Service: 11:00 a.m., March 13, 2014, at Lakeside Presbyterian Church in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Interment: 3:00 p.m., March 13, 2014, at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Oakland, Iowa.Copyright © 2014, Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes
Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes
Buena Vista Obituaries maintained by Lynn Diemer-Mathews.
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