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1922 Dorothy 2018

Dorothy Claire Louden

August 29, 1922 — October 21, 2018

Dorothy Claire Walton Louden passed away very peacefully on Sunday, October 21, 2018 at the Jefferson County Health Care Center with her family by her side.

She was born August 29, 1922 in Coffeyville, KS, the youngest of Cory and Tacy    Waltons’ three children.

She married Joe Earley of Fairfield, Iowa in 1943 and they had one daughter, Nancy Earley (Leazer) of Kansas City, MO.  Joe lost his life as a fighter pilot in the Battle of the Bulge in 1945.

After WWII had ended, Tom Louden returned home to Fairfield in 1945 from service in the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet.  It was in that timeframe that he met a young lady named Dorothy in the coffee shop of Martin’s Drug Store, who was looking for help moving into a new apartment with her 3 year old daughter, Nancy.  Tom was the first to volunteer his help and the rest is history.  Dorothy and Thomas A. Louden were married on July 1, 1946 until his death on September 28, 2015.

They had three children, daughter Toni (Jerry) Dodds of West Branch, IA., son Rob Louden (Mary Lorenzen) of Ames, IA and son Tom (Mary) Louden of Fairfield.  She is a grandmother to four grandchildren – Greg Leazer, Jennifer Leazer, Kristin Niles and Amy Boaz and great grandmother to to five – Nathaniel Leazer, Zachery Leazer, Hunter & Andrew Niles and Robby Boaz.

Dot and Tom had a wonderful group of friends and loved getting together with them on a very regular basis for good food, drink and friendship.  One of their favorite social gatherings was ‘Gastro’, comprised of a group of younger couples in Fairfield, most all of whom had been in WWII and were lucky enough to return home & were starting families and careers in the Fairfield area around the same time.   Edith Jordan (Scott) is the last remaining member of Gastro still living at the young age of 103.

She enjoyed a good game of bridge in the winter months but her real love and favorite pastime was playing golf and in her most active years, her ‘regular’ golfing group was Jackie Parkin, Dori Martin and Orpha Buchanan. They loved the game, played regularly and were also quite competitive!

Dot was a huge Iowa Hawkeyes fan.  She and Tom tailgated for years with a group from Fairfield and attended many Iowa football games.  In her later years, she loved watching her beloved Hawkeyes play on TV with great enthusiasm.

Dot was a member of P.E.O. Chapter MB, Fairfield Golf & Country Club, Abracadabra, Fairfield Women’s Club and several bridge playing groups.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Joe Earley, her second husband, Thomas A. Louden, her parents, sister and brother.

She will be missed by all.  She loved being with friends and living life to the fullest and when Tom passed in 2015, it left a big void in her life.

Visitation for family & friends will be 10:00 a.m.  – 11:00 a.m., Friday, October 26, 2018 at First Presbyterian Church.  Memorial service will start at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Joseph Phipps officiating.  Private burial of cremains will be in Evergreen Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church in Fairfield, Evergreen Cemetery or Fairfield Golf & Country Club and mailed to Tom & Mary Louden, 905 E. Adams Ave., Fairfield, Iowa 52556.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Dorothy Claire Louden, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Friday, October 26, 2018

10:00 - 11:00 am (Central time)

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Memorial Service

Friday, October 26, 2018

Starts at 11:00 am (Central time)

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