Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
A funeral service for Dorothy M. Van Kley was held Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, at the First Reformed Church in Sanborn. Pastor Mark Ellens officiated.
Pallbearers were Jesse Eckard, Verlyn Scheerhoorn, Steve Van Kley, Gary Schiernbeck, Chad Breuer and Paul Hansman. Interment was in Roseland Cemetery at Sanborn. Sanborn Funeral Home assisted with the arrangements.
Dorothy Martha Van Kley, one of three children born to Henry and Arvilla (Techen) Breuer, came into the world on April 10, 1935 in Hull. She spent her youth in the Hull area, attending country school through the eighth grade.
St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hull was the setting for the marriage of Dorothy to Willis “Bill” Van Kley on Oct. 4, 1955. The new couple made their home in Sanborn where they would live their entire married life. Three children made their family complete: Rhonda, Randy and Keith.
Being a stay-at-home mom, Dorothy was there when her family needed her. She had always liked to bake, so there was usually something good to eat when everybody got home at the end of the day. Not only did she maintain their household, but she was also an Avon representative for several years, making new friends and acquaintances. Since she “knew her way around the kitchen,” it was a natural fit for Dorothy when she began working at the Sanborn Community School in 1983 as a hot lunch cook, retiring in 1997. Now with more free time, she and Bill would quite often take off on short trips, spending time with family and friends or visiting their granddaughter, Katie. She was a member of First Reformed Church in Sanborn and participated in various activities there. Of course, there was never too much going on that Dorothy couldn’t fit in a cup of coffee with her “coffee group.”
In February of 2020, Dorothy made her new home at Prairie View in Sanborn. She enjoyed sitting outside taking in the fresh air or doing Word Search and jigsaw puzzles. Favorite TV shows included the RFD Channel, Molly B. and game shows. She looked forward to “Happy Hour” once a month, sharing a Coors Light with her dear friend, Bertha.
Dorothy passed from this life on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, at the age of 87 years. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, in 2014; her parents; son, Randy, in 2006; brothers: Marvin Breuer and Ronald Breuer.
Left to cherish her memory are her children: Rhonda and her husband, Mike Reekers, of Spirit Lake; and Keith Van Kley and his special friend, Tammy Bergstrom, of Melvin; her granddaughter, Katie and her husband, Jesse Eckard, and great-granddaughter, Jada Eckard, all of Terril; sister-in-law, Karen Breuer; other relatives and many friends.
