Dorothy Aline Matheny, the oldest child of James Harrison Matheny and Mattie Ethel (Newby) Matheny was born November 21, 1921, at home near Blockton, Iowa. She attended country school at Platteville, Iowa for eight years and graduated from Blockton High School in 1940, with a Normal Training Certificate. She taught country school for four years in Gay Township.
In 1941, while going up a stairway to attend a dance, a young man, named Cecil Newkirk, caught up to her and started a conversation. She started dating that young man on Columbus Day of that year and they became engaged a year later. Cecil was called into the service on October 15, 1942 and was discharged from the Army on December 15, 1944. Dorothy and Cecil were married on February 15, 1945, at the Methodist parsonage in Bedford. Dorothy’s school term ended in May and they moved to Colorado where their three daughters, Cheryl, Marilyn and Janis were born. They lived in various places in Colorado - Rifle, Carbondale and Basalt. In 1954, the family moved to Cove, Arkansas, and spent two years there. While in Arkansas, they attended the Southern Baptist Church in Vandervoort, Arkansas, and it is there that Dorothy accepted Christ as her savior. Dorothy always said that Arkansas was a growing time for the family, not only attending church together but spending most Sunday afternoons walking through the woods to old family “home places” as they were called, picking blackberries, and walking logging trails. In 1956, Dorothy and Cecil sold their livestock and small farm, packed up their pickup with as many belongings as they could, including a dog and a cat, and moved their family back to Iowa. Cecil farmed for awhile and eventually became a rural mail carrier.
Dorothy spent many years as a Sunday School teacher, Vacation Bible School teacher and various other duties in the churches in Vandervoort, Bedford and Blockton, and was a member of the Bedford Baptist Church. She was an active member in the American Legion Auxiliary in Colorado and Blockton.
Dorothy loved crossword puzzles, always doing them with a pen, never a pencil, was an avid reader and enjoyed knitting and crocheting. One of her favorite hobbies was her counted cross stitch and she made numerous pictures for her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.
Dorothy devoted her life to raising her children, always raised a garden and canned fruits and vegetables for the winter. She enjoyed being a farm wife. She worked for seven years at Shehan’s in Bedford and retired in 1974 to spend more time at home. She took care of both her mother and Cecil in their later years.
Dorothy was very proud of her family. If you wanted to see a big smile come across her face, just ask her about her grandchildren and great-grandchildren! She always had a story to tell about them and truly enjoyed hearing from them and having them come to visit.
Dorothy was proceeded in death by her husband, Cecil, her parents, Jim and Mattie, and all of her siblings and their spouses: Ethel and Lem Dant, John and Phyllis Matheny, Beulah Mae and Dale Kernen and Marion and Ellen Matheny, as well as many cousins.
Left to cherish her memory are her daughters and their husbands: Cheryl and Steve Mick, Bedford, Marilyn and Bob Timberlake, Auburn, Kansas, and Janis and Steve Melvin, Rochester, Minnesota. Dorothy’s grandchildren, their spouses and Dorothy’s great-grandchildren include: Matt and Dawn Mick, Maggie and Rory, Boone, Iowa; Josh and Angel Melvin, Mackenzie, Prole, Iowa, Tucker and Annaliesa Melvin, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Alicia (Melvin) and Bryan Navarette, Romey Riley and Peter, Mason City, Iowa; Rob Timberlake, Lawrence, Kansas; Nicole (Timberlake) and Andy Burghart and Ryland, Topeka, Kansas; Stephanie (Melvin) and Brian Fisk, Natalie, Meredith and Liesel, Rochester, Minnesota; and Rebekah (Melvin) and Brandon Rohrig and Freya, Okoboji, Iowa.
Dorothy is also survived by her sisters-in-law, Jean Vance and Anne Meek, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.
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