Dorothy Gould

Dorothy Gould, 96, of Marshalltown, Iowa, went into the tender arms of Jesus on the morning of July 28, 2023 at the Iowa River Hospice Home.

Services for Dorothy will be held on Thursday, August 3, 2023 beginning at 11:00 a.m. at the Ferguson Bible Church in Ferguson, Iowa. A visitation for family and friends will be held one hour prior to services. Memorials in Dorothy’s name may be directed to the Ferguson Bible Church or to the family for a later designation. For additional information or to send a condolence to the family please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234.

Dorothy Mae Vavra was born May 18, 1927 to parents Joseph and Barbara (Tomasek) Vavra in Dunbar, Iowa. She was raised in Ferguson, Iowa and was the youngest of 9 children. Dorothy attended Ferguson High School and was a graduate of the class of 1945. In her early and teenage years, she worked various jobs between being a paper girl for the Times Republican, working for a greenhouse located Southwest of Ferguson, and as an assembly line worker at Marshall Manufacturing.

On June 19, 1947 she was united in marriage to the love of her life, Wilbur “Dib” Gould at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Together they moved to Marshalltown and made a home for themselves and she began to raise her daughter Amy with Dib. She and Dib were longtime active members of the Ferguson Bible Church. Within the church she was Sunday School Treasurer, sang in the choir, and served on the ladies aid. When not involved within the church, she was active within women’s bowling leagues and served as the treasurer for the Women’s Bowling Association for Crew Lanes in Marshalltown. She loved golfing as well and then was a member of the American legion and served on the Women’s’ League Golf Association. She and Dib were able to spend many long and happy years together until the time of his passing in 2010.

In her free time, Dorothy loved music, she enjoyed playing the organ that she had at her home and tending to her beautiful flower gardens. She passed the time by working on jigsaw puzzles and crosswords and was known to be seamstress extraordinaire in her family making clothing for both herself and her daughter. She enjoyed watching the Chicago Cubs and cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Those left to remember and cherish her memory are her daughter Amy (Bruce) Thomsen of Urbandale, IA; her grandchildren, Troy Thomsen of North Liberty and Michelle (Chad) Oppedal of Winter Garden, FL; her great-grandchildren Tate and Natalie Thomsen and Hunter (Vanessa) Oppedal, Connor Oppedal, Grant Oppedal, Claire Oppedal, Flynn Oppedal, and Sullivan Oppedal; her sister-in-law Shirley Gould, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband Dib; her parents Joseph and Barbara Vavra; and her siblings, Rudy, Rose, Joe, Edna, Mary, John, Betty, and Chuck.