Dorothy Easterly, Strafford, MO Age 88
Dorothy was born to Phillip Jake and Jewel Hattie (McNeese) Reitz on February 28, 1926, in Springfield, Missouri, and left this earth on July 5, 2014, at the age of 88 years and 97 days. Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, husband of 57 years, Joe T. Easterly, granddaughter Megan, and sister-in-law Eva Easterly. She is survived by daughters Charlotte Powell (Ron), of Strafford, Sharon Morris (David) of Little Rock, Arkansas, sons Tom, Terry (Debby), and Allen (Vickie), all of Strafford. Also surviving are 13 grandchildren, Terry Powell, Tracy Hill, Stacy Smith, Kristen Williams, Carrah Tiffany, Erin Havens, Amber Estes, Elliot Easterly, Laura Easterly, Rachel Easterly, Stephanie Easterly, Andrew Easterly, Aric Easterly, step-grandchildren Matt and Heather Munson, and Cole Stokes, 18 great-grandchildren, one step-great-grandson, one great-great granddaughter, and in-laws Bill and Martha Easterly of Strafford, Curtis and Mary Lou Wommack of Nixa, and Gilbert and Loretta Marshall of Independence, and a host of other relatives, friends and neighbors.
Dorothy grew up on a farm on the East side of Springfield which would now be in the vicinity of MO US Hwy 65 and Catalpa. Of course, there was no 6 lane highway through there at the time. She attended Mt. Pisgah and Oak Grove elementary school. One means by which she got to school was by being toted on a neighbor girls bicycle. Later her parents got her a bike of her own. Dorothy was an only child and although, somewhat older than her cousins, twin brothers John and James McNeese, and cousin brothers, Willard, David and Glenn McNeese, she found in them enjoyable playmates. Because she was an only child, she perhaps got attention and training above and beyond that of many children her contemporaries which may account for her sharp mind, diversified interests and many talents displayed throughout life. She enjoyed her many childhood pets which included a dog named Penny and a horse which she enjoyed riding. She also learned to play piano and a little guitar.
While a teenager, her parents sold their Springfield farm and in the winter of 1942-43, they, their livestock and worldly possessions were all moved to a larger farm located 3 Mi. S. of Fair Grove, MO on HWY 125. She finished her education at Fair Grove HS and was a 1944 graduate. She never attended college but down through the years she demonstrated herself time and time again to be a lot smarter than many who did.
Dorothy was married to Joe Tom Easterly on June 14, 1945 after a brief acquaintance and courtship. They were married in Strafford, MO by Charles Foley. They did not get to embark on a formal honeymoon as Joe was employed by Taystee Bakery at the time as an oven operator and was unable to get off work. However, it was not long until Dorothy was being found at the bakery bringing relief and refreshment to Joe and his fellow workers.
Dorothy and husband Joe began life in a simple apartment. Because it was a time of war, rent rates were regulated and food and fuel were rationed. She and her new husband remained in Springfield a short time, but as Dorothy’s father had lost his hired hand to the military war effort, he needed a replacement and husband Joe quit his city job to work for his in-laws and the couple moved back to the farm that she had only recently vacated. It is likely Dorothy and Joe were unaware that this farm would be their residence for the rest of their lives, and certainly had no way of knowing at the time that three sons would eventually build houses and raise their own families on this same farm.
They began life on the farm in a simple one room dwelling. There was no indoor plumbing, a convenience to which Dorothy was accustomed in her parent’s home. Water was pumped from a shallow well over which was mounted a tall cast iron F.E. Myer Hand Pump. Though no longer able to draw a stream of water, the original pump remains in place there as a reminder of those early years and all the people and livestock who were watered by it.
The early years of the marriage was about helping milk the cows, feeding the pigs, planting, growing, and harvesting crops, gathering eggs, gardening, raising fruits and canning the same. Although, a family was always in the plans, it was 5 years before the first child, Charlotte Ann, came along. Only a year and 17 days later, along came son, Thomas Lynn. Three years later, son Terrence Wayne was born. Three years after him, Daughter Sharon Kay was born. And 4 years after her, fifth and final child, Allen Ray was born. Dorothy tried to plan some of her children’s births to coincide with April 30, Joe’s birthday. She never hit it but got within a week of it with both Tom and Sharon. Starting and raising a family meant a whole new array of responsibilities for Dorothy.
As the number of kids increased, so also did the size of the little one room dwelling. One room became two, two became three, etc. Soon neighbors passing by and seeing a new room being added would remark, “Joe and Dorothy must be expecting again.“ Before long the little one room dwelling became a small three bedroom house with a bathroom, indoor plumbing, a front porch, back porch, kitchen and living room. The last addition, referred to as the “boy’s room” brought the size of the house to perhaps 900 square feet, but still small by today‘s standards. There was never really enough room but somehow Dorothy always managed to keep it neat and orderly, making do and never complained regardless of who and how many were living there at any time. This, however, did not keep her from dreaming of some day having a new house and it was not uncommon to see her sketching out a floor plan. For years she looked at house plans in magazines or in the Springfield Sunday News Leader and cut out and saved those she liked.
During the early 60s, Joe put Dorothy into the rabbit raising business. She and the kids raised and sold several hundred rabbits over a two to three year period. She managed to put some of the home grown butchered rabbit meat on the dinner table as “chicken pot pie” often unbeknownst to the kids. Dorothy had one of the biggest and best gardens to be found anywhere. One year, Joe asked her if she would like a new wedding ring set for their anniversary. She replied, “I want a new Merry Tiller.” Joe obliged and the rings came later. She would go on to own three or four Merry Tillers during her gardening years.
Her desire for a new house was finally realized in 1992, 47 years after their marriage. By this time all the kids were all raised and gone from home, although, some were still close by. In that year Dorothy and Joe moved into their new spacious single story, full basement, modern, energy efficient home built by sons, Tom, Terry, and Allen along with a some necessary help from Daniel Blades and a track loader from Kennedy construction, basement walls formed and poured by Barnett Foundation, drywall finishing by the Martin and Malcom Myers, and additional manual labor by neighbor Danny Jacques, and church friends Steve Bacon and Scott Anderson, and perhaps others. The new house was of Dorothy’s design and proved to be “just what the doctor ordered.” Though, built late in life, it served the two of them for a decade and continued to be Dorothy’s residence until April 8, 2014, at which time Dorothy entered Webco Manor in Marshfield, MO. The new house proved to be so convenient and accommodating that Dorothy and Joe both wondered why they put off building it for so long.
Dorothy put on Christ through baptism at an early age. In her early “family raising” years she attended the Strafford church of Christ. Occasionally she would teach a children’s class. She was a very good alto singer and managed to pass her singing ability on to all 5 of her children. Later, she and husband Joe became members of the Fair Grove church of Christ. Rarely did she miss a Sunday morning or evening worship service or a Wednesday night bible study prior to her recent failing health. She attended hundreds of gospel meetings down through the years and continued a regular, loyal and faithful member with the Fair Grove congregation long after Joe‘s passing in 2002. However, more recently when she could no longer safely drive by herself and had to rely on family members to get her to church, she most often attended the Strafford church of Christ.
Dorothy seemed to find her greatest fulfillment in her role as a homemaker. She found fulfillment in preparing meals, gardening, and keeping a neat and clean home. She was extremely hospitable, having fed hundreds of people at her dinner table over the years, including family, friends, neighbors, and often complete strangers who more often than not had been brought there by Joe. Just days ago, long time family veterinarian, Scott Grier of Marshfield, MO, who on more than one occasion was guest at Dorothy‘s dinner table on “cattle working” commented what a good cook she was.
She also loved to sew and spent many thousands of hours making clothing for her children, later her grandchildren and even her great grandchildren. She was an expert seamstress and there was seldom ever a very long period of time when there was not a quilt in process stretched across her kitchen table in her antique quilting frame. She made and gave away dozens of quilts during her lifetime.
Dorothy enjoyed working jigsaw puzzles, playing scrabble, and playing card games with the family. She had a very keen mind. For 40 years or more, she enjoyed the challenge of doing the crossword puzzle, Jumble and the cryptogram from the daily newspaper. She was a walking dictionary. She also spent a lot of time reading her Bible in the late evening which became worn and coverless from use.
Dorothy also enjoyed her role as helper and cashier for husband Joe in their family business of 50 years, Easterly Auction Service. She prided herself on accurate bookkeeping and correct making of change. Discrepancies were rare, but when they did occur, she was never willing to close out the books on an auction until the sales and proceeds balanced out to the exact penny.
Dorothy also loved and catered to the birds. Large gatherings of Cardinals was common during the winter as she would put out black sunflower seed. She especially loved Purple Martins and at one time had several large Purple Mountain houses in the yard of the original home. Some of the boxes were later moved to her new home but she never saw quite the bird population there that she had seen in earlier years at the old home place. Pesky mosquitoes were certainly not a problem in those days as the Martins always kept the mosquito population in check.
Dorothy also loved flowers. Flower beds always adorned the yard. She loved her Roses and Irises. She managed to collect about every color of Iris imaginable and many plants still adorn her new home every spring. However, most of her Iris bulbs she gave away in recent years as the care of them became more than she could handle.
Dorothy enjoyed collecting Precious Moments figurines. Both she and Joe loved meeting and making new friends at the Precious Moments Club meetings. During her precious Moments days, she and Joe met Donna Douglas, aka Elly May Clampett of The Beverly Hillbillies. Several years back she took her first jet airplane ride, flying to Chicago, IL to attend the Precious Moments National Convention along with sister-in-law Mary Lou Wommack. It was always a treat to get a piece personally signed by Sam Butcher, the artist and creator of the Precious Moments Line, and a person with whom they became personally acquainted. She also enjoyed visiting the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage. Her collection no longer fills the shelves as it once did. Dorothy never seemed to get very attached to worldly possessions. She had no problem putting the clutter out of her life. Even things of monetary or sentimental value often found new homes as she uncluttered hers. Her Precious Moments collection she described as being “no fun anymore” after the passing of Joe. It was not the figurines she valued but rather the shared time they represented that she and Joe had spent in the activities surrounding them.
Dorothy and Joe loved attending the high school and college sporting activities of their grandchildren in the post-retirement years of their lives. On occasions they drove out of state just to watch a basketball game of granddaughter Erin. They became regular fixtures at the Fair Grove High School and SBU gymnasiums. Dorothy, even in her 80’s continued to support the athletic endeavors of the Fair Grove Volleyball team by attending the games of her granddaughter, Stephanie.
Dorothy always seemed to enjoy life and had an even, steady, and stable character and disposition about her. She never seemed to get overly excited about anything or to ever let anything get her down. She was the one solid and dependable anchor which kept the family ship from drifting very far astray and was also a lighthouse leading the family back home and through difficult waters.
One Christmas perhaps a decade ago, give or take, granddaughter Tracy presented grandma Dorothy with a series of simple questions pertaining to her life, written out on slips of paper. Over the course of the following year she answered all those questions in detail. Dorothy was already an excellent typist, but in the process she learned to use a keyboard and a computer to do the word processing. The end result was a very well written, informational “short story” of her life which she printed up herself and collated into three ring notebooks. She printed out enough copies so that every child would have one and several more for those desiring one. Additionally she put together a Cookbook of all her favorite recipes. Dorothy got a lot of enjoyment out of the project and received many favorable comments by those who read it.
Probably the most tragic events in Dorothy’s life were the loss of husband Joe, age 81, in 2002 after 57 years of marriage and the untimely death to brain cancer of granddaughter Megan, age 27, in 2012. Dorothy was no stranger to cancer herself, having had colon cancer and colon surgery when she was in her mid 70’s. She recovered and it never returned. She also had Hodgkin’s lymphoma in her early 80’s, which she probably cured herself using a dietary/homeopathic treatment called the “Grape Cure.” Nonetheless, she consented to undergoing chemo treatment and continued to do so until it was evident the treatments themselves would kill her if she did not discontinue them. She never fully recovered from the treatments. Her earlier strength and her once full head of hair never completely returned.
As Dorothy’s health began failing her noticeably during the last two years of her life, it became observable more and more that she was observing the Bible mandate to “number our days” and “set her house in order.“ However, she endured, pushing herself onward long after others would have totally given up or already have entered a nursing home. Two significant events of 2013 gave her increased motivation to keep on “keeping on.“ The first was the arrival of news that there would be a posthumous awarding of a PhD. from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO to granddaughter Megan. She took her second jet plane trip to CO in May of that year and witnessed the presentation in person. The second was the arrival of her great-great-granddaughter Miley born in September, 2013, which made 5 generations. This is an event to which few can lay claim during their lifetime. A gathering of all 5 generation and picture taking of the same occurred in her living room. Dorothy even managed to bake a cake and make punch to celebrate the occasion.
Dorothy had a long and fulfilling life and these few remarks are but a glance at her 88 plus years on earth. Her longevity is a testimony to godly living, to honoring parents, eating right and avoiding harmful habits. Dorothy was and continues to be an encouragement and blessing in the lives of her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and even her one great-great grandchild. Her life was also a blessing to her church family, relatives, neighbors, and even strangers. Her final days included frequent calls from High School classmate, Thelma Roberts, visits from Thelma, friends, relatives and neighbors as well as a watchful eye by neighbor Jeanie who herself was at the time a resident of Webco Manor. Dorothy’s kids and grandkids gathered and sang to her on several occasions. The staff was always supportive and most accommodating to her family by bringing cookies, tea, coffee, even entire meals to the room if needed or wanted. The people from Seasons Hospice were also most helpful in seeing that Dorothy’s needs were adequately being met during the final days at Webco Manor. Many thanks are extended to Jeanie and to the staff of both Webco and Seasons for all their assistance as well as to all who came to visit.
Dorothy’s body was cremated in keeping with her wishes. At a later date her ashes will be interned in the Bass Chapel cemetery next to husband Joe. A memorial service is scheduled to be held at Greenlawn North, 3506 N. National in Springfield, MO on Saturday, July 12, at 6:00 PM. Everyone is invited.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests that you consider making a donation to:
The Megan Easterly Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o Harding University, 915 E Market Ave., Searcy, AR 72149
OR
Happy Hollow Bible Camp, mailing address 334 E. Kearney, Box 101, Springfield, MO 65803.
It is the desire and hope of all the family that all who knew Dorothy will carry fond memories of Dorothy and that each person’s path has been a little brighter for having known her.
May God Bless,
The family of Dorothy (Reitz) Easterly.