NORTH, Dorothy Belle (Nelson) 1928-2015

NORTH, NELSON, MCELWAIN, SQUIER

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 8/4/2015 at 15:16:19

Died August 3, 2015

Dorothy Belle (Nelson) North, age 87, formerly of Rockford, Iowa, died Monday, August 3, 2015, at Bethany Manor in Story City, Iowa.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 8, 2015, at the First United Methodist Church in Rockford with Pastor Judy Wooton officiating. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, 702 State Street, Osage, Iowa, and will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday. Following the funeral service, there will be a time for lunch and fellowship at the First United Methodist Church in Rockford, with interment at the Osage Cemetery following the lunch.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 556, Rockford, IA, 50468.

Dorothy Belle, the daughter of Martin and Hazel (McElwain) Nelson, was born in Woodbine, Iowa, on February 17, 1928. She graduated from Rockford High School after taking a normal training course, which qualified her to teach country school. Further education was received during three summers at Teachers’ School (aka U.N.I.) and one and a half years at Simpson College.

She met James North at a square dance he was calling. They were married June 10, 1951, at the Methodist Church in Rockford. To this union, six children were born: Paula Squier of Independence, Ronald (Cindy) North of Slater, Joel (Greti) North of Urbandale, Julie (John) Jesse of Roland, Timothy (Kelly) North of Shakopee, Minnesota, and Robert North of Altoona. Jim and Dorothy were also blessed with 21 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Although she lived in a dozen towns, she always considered Rockford her home. Her employment history was varied; country school and elementary teacher, waitress, grocery clerk, writer for newspaper offices, assistant librarian, and home health aide. She was active in United Methodist Women and her church’s circle, and participated in the Historical Society, Retired Former Rural Teachers, the Cancer Society, TOPS, Red Hat Society, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and poetry groups, where she held various positions.

Awards included 1976-77 Notable American, first place in a contest for song writing, certificate of merit from the Cancer Society, 1985 Charles City Jaycees Woman of the Year, Seroptimist award in 1984, and Volunteer of the Year through RSVP. Dorothy was a faithful member of the United Methodist Church in Rockford for over 50 years. Dorothy made the most of her natural talents.

One year of piano lessons as a child translated into teaching her children to enjoy music by playing for them when they were young, providing hours of enjoyment to the elderly in nursing homes, and writing more than 50 songs. She truly cared about people. She and Jim organized a “give-away” program that started in their home with donated clothing, and then moved into an Astro pole building.

People were welcome to take any clothing, shoes, nic nacs, household items, etc. that they needed, all from various items that had been donated to, then organized by the two of them. In one year, 2500 people, including some from 20 states and two foreign countries benefited from that service. She organized and hosted two “Everybody’s Birthday” parties in the Rockford Park, as well.

However, Dorothy’s biggest joy came from her writing. She repeatedly stated, “I HAVE to write” – and she did; stories, church Christmas programs, daily prayers, newspaper items and columns, installation programs, songs, thousands of letters (including regular letters to friends, family, and even strangers who she lovingly called her “Singletons”), and innumerable poems. Her poetry covered all subjects, from misplacing her dentures to falling down a hill to deep-felt emotions, to her awe of all God’s creations.

Over the years, she put together more than 500 albums, many for others but many for herself, made up of her writings, many of the thousands of pictures she’d taken, even of current and long-ago events. She knew how to stay busy. She wasn’t perfect but she was a kind, caring, faithful, creative, and all-around good woman.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her brother, James Nelson, her son-in-law, Tom Squier, and several in-laws.

She is lovingly missed by her children, grand and great-grandchildren, two sisters-in-law, Doris North and Arlene Crain, and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.

May God bless and keep her.

Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage (641) 732-3706

Source: Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home website 4 AUG 2015