Dorothy (Vawter) York

Dorothy (Vawter) York, 84, formerly of Marshalltown, passed away November 14, 2011 at the Sunny View Care Center under the care Iowa Hospice.Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 19, 2011 at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown. The Visitation will be held an hour prior to the service time. Memorials may be directed to the family. For condolences or questions, visit www.mitchellfh.com or call (641) 844-1234. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Dorothy and her family.Dortha Dorothy Ailene York was born in Callao, MO, on March 14, 1927, to John and Lillie (Lucas) Vance. She graduated from Bevier, MO, high school and went on to be a school teacher in Anabel, MO. In 1945, she married William Bill Ford Vawter one week after he returned from serving in the Marine Corps at Iwo Jima; as teenagers, they lived on neighboring farms in the Callao area. Dorothy and Bill briefly resided in Kentucky to farm with family members and then moved to Boone, IA, where Dorothy attended Boone Junior College. She and Bill raised five children together. After relocating to Marshalltown, IA, Dorothy enjoyed a successful career at Kiowa where she retired; Bill worked for Fisher Controls. After Bills passing in 1979, Dorothy married Donald York in 1989; he passed away in 1990. Dorothy briefly resided in Lake Marie in Mercer, MO, Newton and Alltoona before settling again in Boone, where she worked for Wal-Mart and as a preschool assistant.During her high school days and time as a teacher, Dorothy was remembered for always carrying around a guitar and singing her favorite songs such as, You Are My Sunshine and Go Tell It On The Mountain. She always told the story of how her father allowed her to raise the runt sheep on their farm when she was a little girl so she could later sell it to purchase her own guitar. While living in Marshalltown, she enjoyed participating in bowling leagues and being involved in the Local UAW. Dorothy was known for having extended family over every Sunday and during holidays for dinner. She collected many pictures of her family, which she displayed prominently. More recently, she took pleasure in bird watching, listening to fiddler music and visiting with family. She enjoyed the simple things in life and had a knack for providing straightforward yet profound advice. After battling various illnesses and experiencing a decline in her health, Dorothy moved to Ankeny, IA, last year. At the time of her death, she resided in Sunny View Care Center and was under the benevolent care of Iowa Hospice.Dorothy is survived by five children, Barbara Arterburn (Omaha, NE), Audrey Blaine Vawter (Marshalltown, IA), Jeff Vawter (Elkhart, IA), Julie Vawter (Des Moines, IA) and Joe Vawter (Wilmington, NC), nine grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren, several cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as her special sister-in-law Laura Jean Eiserman (Boone, IA), and other relatives through marriage.Dorothy is preceded in death by her parents, spouse William, brother Martin, and second husband Don. She leaves behind many special friendships with previous neighbors, family friends and coworkers.