Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
A funeral service in memory of Dorothy Hirt was held Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at the Hartley Funeral Home in Hartley. Pastor Perry Aalgaard, of the First Lutheran Church in Milford, officiated.
Pallbearers were Jordan Hirt, Dylan Hirt, Robert Finch, Jim Norton, Allan Tarnasky and Ed Harders. Burial was at Pleasant View Cemetery in Hartley. Hartley Funeral Home assisted with the arrangements.
Dorothy Elva Mae Hirt was born April 6, 1931 in Hartley, the daughter of A.B. and Pearl (Clayton) Fender. She spent her childhood in this area and received her education here, graduating from Hartley High School.
Dorothy was united in marriage to Blaine C. Hirt on Sunday, April 29, 1951, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. They began their life together in the country, living in a trailer house on the farm of Blaine’s parents near Hartley. Five short months later, Uncle Sam called Blaine to serve his country with the United States Army. Dorothy accompanied him to Oklahoma, living in nearby Lawton while Blaine completed his Basic Training at Fort Sill. His tour of duty took him to Korea with the Second Division/15th Field Artillery Division from 1952 until his honorable discharge in June of 1953.
Following Blaine’s military service, he and Dorothy returned to Iowa and picked up where they had left off, once again calling the farm near Hartley “home”. Three sons would make their family complete: Bradley, Brian and Brady. Dorothy found great satisfaction in her life as an Iowa farmwife, helping Blaine around the farm, tending her vegetable garden and flowerbeds, and breeding Samoyed puppies.
Yet her main focus was always on her three growing boys. She enjoyed all the activities in which they were involved during their school years, as well as when they got older. She also saw to it there were three square meals each day, and you could always find some kind of sweet treat in the cupboard on which to snack. Dorothy’s love for serving and helping others was evident over the years in her work with the Catholic Charities Services.
When Blaine and Dorothy decided to leave the farm, it didn’t mean they left the “country life”; they just added a lake. Arnolds Park became their new home and watching squirrels, birds of all kinds and going fishing whenever they wanted were their favorite outdoor activities. They participated in an Alzheimer’s support group at Spencer and were faithful members of First Lutheran Church at Milford. Dorothy had more time to work in her flowerbeds or just sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and conversation with good friends and neighbors. Still, her greatest delight was having her three grandchildren come for a visit. There would be fresh-baked cookies to eat or fried fish caught that day out of the lake. She treasured the times they spent together.
With loved ones close by, Dorothy peacefully passed from this life on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, having reached the age of 93 years. Preceding her in death were her parents, A.B. Fender and Pearl (Fender) Paulie; her husband, Blaine Hirt (2017); and son, Bradley Hirt.
Thankful for having shared Dorothy’s life are her sons: Brian (Teresa) Hirt, of Glenwood; and Brady Hirt, of Arnolds Park; three grandchildren and their families: Jordan (Chelsey) Hirt and their children, Leightynn and Laine, of Council Bluffs; Dylan (Samantha) Hirt and son, Deekin, of Tabor; and Ashley (Robert) Finch and their children, Hazel and Noell, of Bellevue, Neb.; many other relatives and dear friends.
