Family members include her sons Doug (JoAnn) and Brian (Diane) Pillard; daughter Linda (Allen) Steiner, all of Lincoln; 9 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. Preceded in death by her parents, husband Kenneth, and sister Evelyn Matthews.
Dorothy grew up near Pleasant Dale, Nebraska, and graduated from Hallam High School in 1952.
Dorothy had a strong faith. She attended church almost every Sunday, talked about her beliefs, read the bible daily, and had a nightly “Talk with God”.
Her favorite roles were being an Air Force wife, Mom, and Grandma. She lived in Florida, Lincoln, England, Texas, Taiwan, Louisiana, and finally back to Lincoln. She visited Paris, London, Holland, and Japan while stationed overseas. She always said “did I really do all this?” as she retells the story of how terrified she was getting on the first plane ride to England but couldn’t let her kids know.
She loved to bake and when the kids were in school, she’d bake every day so they could have treats in their lunch. Specialties included fudge pie, marbled brownies, and chocolate chip bars. Her kolaches and loaded rolls were always a hit at dinners and family events.
She loved to fish with Ken and the many friends and family that they would host. She was an expert at backing the boat & trailer. A favorite time was fishing at Harlan County reservoir when the seagulls were dipping to chase the shad that were being chased by the fish.
She had many valuable activities, most were volunteering her time. She taught at a country school before getting married and worked at Russell Stovers and Elgins before leaving Lincoln to go overseas. She worked part time at the Wesleyan bookstore when returning to Lincoln. Her volunteer work included being room mother for all the kids, UMW church circles, Mothers’ Day Out babysitting for church, recording church services and delivering tapes to and visiting those unable to attend church, Retired Senior volunteer program, Foodnet, live reading and recording for vision impaired. She and Ken sponsored children from various countries and Dorothy continued to do so for her remaining years. She would write letters to them too.
She has nine grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. As a grandma, she did not hesitate to make it fun and enjoyable. She had a ‘toy room’ and lots of games for all ages. The many grandkids’ events she attended are way too many to count! She genuinely felt like it was an honor to babysit anytime or even dog sit for her “grand dog”. She could connect with all children and they could sense that Dorothy was always a kid at heart.
Funeral service: 11:00 am Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Roper and Sons Midtown Chapel, 4300 ‘O’ Street.
Visitation with family present from 5-7 pm Tuesday, May 30, 2023, Roper and Sons Midtown Chapel.
Memorials in lieu of flowers to the family for donations to be made to Hallam United Methodist Church, Habitat for Humanity and Trinity United Methodist Church.