Dorothy Reuss Persons

PERSONS, REUSS, GORRIE, ROB, BOORKMAN

Posted By: Tara (email)
Date: 6/28/2011 at 14:58:00

Dorothy Reuss Persons, 96, died on June 28, 2011 at her home in the Oaknoll Retirement Residence.

Dorothy was born in Aurora, Illinois on December 18, 1914, the daughter of George and Mary Belle (Gorrie) Reuss. She graduated from East Aurora High School in 1931 and continued her education at Aurora College and the University of Illinois, Urbana. She held positions at the University of Illinois and Ohio State University libraries before being appointed Librarian of the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey in 1942. She was married to Stow Persons in Princeton on September 4, 1943. After their move to Iowa City in 1950 she pursued her interest in art by taking courses in Metalwork and Jewelry at the University of Iowa and eventually established a home studio where she continued for many years to produce custom-designed, hand-crafted jewelry for exhibition and sale. Her work was exhibited widely in local, regional and national exhibitions and is included in many private collections. She was a charter member of and an officer in the Iowa Designer Craftsmen, an organization of professional artists formed to promote designer craftsmanship in the state.
Dorothy is survived by her daughter, Catherine Persons and son-in-law Peter Rob of Nome, Alaska and her brother George Reuss of Wheaton, Illinois.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Stow Persons, her sister, Ruth Boorkman, and by her brother, Robert Reuss.
Dorothy deeded her body to the University of Iowa College of Medicine. At her request there will be no memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Oaknoll Foundation, the University of Iowa Foundation or Iowa City Hospice.