Dorothy K. Simmon

Dorothy K. Simmon, 86, of Kearney, died Thursday, January 8, 2015 at the Good Samaritan Society St. John’s in Kearney. Funeral services will be Friday, January 16, 2015 at 11:00 am at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Amherst with Pastor Bill Heermann officiating. Burial will be at the Stanley Cemetery near Amherst. Visitation will be Thursday, January 15, 2015 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral and Cremation Services in Kearney and one hour prior to the service at the church. Memorials are suggested to Trinity Lutheran Church. Dorothy was born June 18, 1928 in Amherst to Carl and Anna (Wuehler) Czenkusch. She began her life as the quintessential farmer’s daughter. She often regaled her family and friends with stories of her days on the farm with her parents and sister, Mae. She began her education, kindergarten to 8th grade, in a one room school house. When the snow was too deep, her father would take her on horseback to school. Dorothy was raised during the Great Depression but was always grateful for the bounty in her life. She graduated from high school in 1945 and then attended Nebraska State Teachers College in Kearney. Shortly thereafter she became an operator for the telephone company. Jack and Dorothy’s romance began at a New Year’s Eve dance, halfway between Boston and San Francisco at the 1733 club in Kearney. They celebrated 60 years of marriage before Jack passed away. They had a kind and loving relationship that served as a shining example for their children and grandchildren. Her dying words were “I am going to go dance with Jack now”. During Jack’s career their family moved to Sidney, Italy, Germany, and several locations in the United States. When Jack retired from the Department of Defense he declared “I’ve moved you all around the world, now you get to decide where we live”. Dorothy, without hesitation, replied Nebraska which she always referred to as “God’s country”. Dorothy enjoyed quilting, gardening, piano and teaching her daughters to dance like Bobby Soxers. Occasionally Jack could coerce her onto the golf course with him. She was always a loving and devoted mother. Her legacy continues in the lives of her children, Jim and wife Jill of Grosse Pointe Woods, MI., daughters Susan Dodge and husband Steve, and Mary Spoth and husband Bob of Woodbridge, VA., grandchildren Lindsay Hill and Shelby Rademaker, James and Kathryn Dodge, Katie, Patrick, Kevin, and Kyle Spoth and five great grandchildren. Dorothy is preceded in death by her husband Jack and sister Mae. PDF Printable Version

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Dorothy K. Simmon

January 8, 2015 - January 8, 2015