Delores Elaine (Groen) POPE

POPE, GROEN, BLAU, SCHRAMM, ANDERSON, HOLTHUS, GORDON

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 8/12/2015 at 14:43:50

May 13, 1929 --- June 30, 2015

Casper, Wyoming -- Services for Delores Elaine "Dusty" (Groen) Pope will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Casper at 10:00 am on Friday July 10, 2015. Dusty passed away June 30 in Casper after a long battle with several illnesses. She was born May 13, 1929 in Meservey, Iowa to Lyda Groen and Dick Blau and raised by her maternal grandparents Harm and Lena Groen. She attended school in Meservey, played clarinet in the school marching band and enjoyed working at her grandfather's lumber yard and the family farm. Dusty was a star basketball player and played on the high school varsity team while still in junior high. After graduation she worked as a telephone operator for Northwestern Bell in Mason City, Iowa. Dusty and the love of her life William C. "Bill" Pope were married on November 27, 1947 at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, Iowa.

Bill and Dusty moved to Casper, WY in 1952 to follow work in the construction business and they participated in the huge post-war boom in Casper. Dusty's mother Lyda and step-father Louis Schramm followed shortly thereafter. Dusty worked as a bookkeeper for JM Bostwick's, Al Bunning CPA, and several other entities in Casper. She was active with the Beta Sigma Phi sorority, did modeling work, and also enjoyed the occasional thespian activity at the old Paradise Valley Playhouse. Bill and Dusty loved archery and were involved in the late 50's with the archery club in Casper. She was an excellent bowler and was 200 Club Secretary in Casper for many years. Bill and Dusty kept their two boys, Greg and Doug Pope, very active with hunting, fishing, baseball, basketball and camping. She and Bill, being depression era children, were extremely conservative and repaired the old instead of bought new, lived on wild game and garden vegetables, and in general worked hard and played hard when the opportunity was presented. Dusty never missed a baseball or basketball game with the boys and was a long time score-keeper for the Little League. In 1966 the family moved to their dream home built with their own hands on the Platte River southwest of Casper. Dusty packed material, nailed studs, painted, and kept the family fed during the long construction process.

Dusty loved organizing large BBQs and float trip parties at the house on the river. The parties usually ended late at night with pitching horse shoes under the lights, Dusty right in among the guys. She raised her boys in the Church, and family Sundays were a part of growing up, listening to records and playing games. Her favorite activity in later years was Sunday afternoon family dinners and she loved to cook large meals even when she was very ill and ridden with arthritis.

In 1983 Bill Pope and sons formed Pope Construction and Dusty signed on as bookkeeper and secretary to "keep things running right". She worked for the first couple years without pay in order to get the company on its feet, setting up an organized accounting system that carries on to this day. Dusty took a lot of pride in Pope Construction and the work that was done around Casper. Even as she got really sick the subject of what projects were going on in town was very important to her. The importance of the Pope family name was instilled in the sons from an early age. To her it stood for generations of quality, integrity, honesty, fairness, and being kind to everyone. When husband Bill retired in 1991 due to health issues, they moved to Chandler, Arizona to start a new phase in life. Dusty became a very active golfer, loved the southwestern life style, and made many new friends among the "snow birds". She was active in the Chandler, AZ Presbyterian Church and the VFW Women's Auxiliary and continued to organize many get-togethers for friends and neighbors. In 2002 they moved back to Casper to be close to family again. After Bill's death in 2004, Dusty remained independent and active and moved back to Arizona for several more years. Even after she had to give up golf she loved running around the community in her golf cart. Dusty moved back to Casper to be close to family after her health began to fail.

Even after moving to independent living and, for a short time, the assisted living unit at Primrose in Casper, Dusty loved to dress nicely and took a lot of pride in her own looks as well as the appearance of her homes. She discovered the computer as a wonderful tool and loved playing computer games as well as keeping up with all of her friends in Arizona via email. Sports on TV were an obsession and she kept up on the players and stats like a sportscaster. Ever a bookkeeper, she kept a personal set of detailed books and budgets until her death. Dusty was a fighter through a multitude of health problems through the years including polio in the early 50's. She always seemed to bounce back from health traumas that would have leveled a normal person and maintain a positive outlook. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren made her beam with pride and she bragged incessantly about them. She stayed active and fit until her health deteriorated rapidly over the last 6 months commencing with several fractured hips and progressive heart failure.

Dusty was preceded in death by her mother and step-father, Lyda (Groen) and Louis Schramm, and her husband Bill Pope. She is survived by her son Doug Pope of Glenrock with wife Kathy and daughters Paula Anderson and Lisa Holthus; and her son Greg Pope of Casper with wife Marjorie and daughter Jenae Pope and step-daughter Christine Gordon; and five great grandchildren.

Dusty's love of life, her kindness, her love of planning events, and her dedication to her family will be missed by all. In lieu of flowers, contributions to a charity or church of choice are suggested. Also the family reminds everyone to hug their elderly parents and spend time with them. They are too soon gone.

Star-Tribune -- Casper, Wyoming
July 6, 2015