Person:Dorothy Wells (9)

DERBY – Dorothy Elizabeth Coleman, age 101, homemaker, passed away Tuesday, October 22, 2019. Visitation 2-8 p.m. Sunday, October 27, with family greeting friends 4-6 p.m.; funeral service 10 a.m. Monday, October 28, both at Smith Mortuary, 1415 N. Rock Rd., Derby.

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Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, John and Mary Wells; first husband, Clarence Crumrine; second husband, Carol E. Coleman; son, Daniel L. Crumrine; daughter, Beverly Ann Duff; grandson, John Daniel Duff; 3 brothers and 6 sisters.

Survivors include her brother, Virgil Wells (Alice), of Boring, Ore.; sister, Shirley Blake, of Laramie, Wyo.; grandchildren, Jerry Duff, of Derby, Brad Young (Angela), and Kelly Hanuska (Bill); numerous extended family.

http://www.derbyinformer.com/obituaries/dorothy-elizabeth-coleman/article_875e74ec-f771-11e9-bc40-377427521756.html

Dorothy Elizabeth Coleman, age 101, of Derby, homemaker, passed away Tuesday, October 22, 2019. Visitation 2-8 pm, Sunday, October 27, with family greeting friends 4-6 pm, funeral service 10 am Monday October 28, both at Smith Mortuary, 1415 N. Rock Rd., Derby.

Dorothy is preceded in death by her parents, John and Mary Wells; first husband,Clarence Crumrine;; second husband, Carol E. Coleman; son, Daniel L. Crumrine;daughter, Beverly Ann Duff; grandson, John Daniel Duff; 3 brothers and 6 sisters.

Survivors include her brother, Virgil Wells (Alice), of Boring, OR; sister, Shirley Blake, of Laramie, WY; grandchildren, Jerry Duff, of Derby, Brad Young (Angela), and Kelly Hanuska (Bill). A memorial has been established with Good Shepherd Hospice, 7829 E Rockhill St #403, Wichita, KS 67206.

Dorothy Coleman was born Dorothy Elizabeth Wells on April 18, 1918 on a farm outside of Howard. She had 13 brothers and sisters growing up. One of the children died at an early age. It was during a hard time in the country; however, she remarked several times that they did not know they were poor, they had everything they needed. The older kids took care of the younger ones. The boys worked in the field helping their father, John Wells. The girls helped their mother Martha Wells around the house.

Dorothy married Clarence Crumrine and they moved to Wichita. Several of the kids came to live with them as they grew up and sought their own way. They lived a hard life getting started. She often spoke of the house on Antler street in Wichita as one of their early residences. I never knew where that was until I started on the Fire Station and was assigned to Station 6 at Mt. Vernon and Santa Fe. It was just down the street. Antler, Boston, Cottage Grove if you don’t know where it is. The trains passed right by the house. I’m sure they were anxious to move from there. They had 2 children, Beverly Ann Crumrine and Daniel Crumrine. I have to think my Uncle Dan must have contributed to the grey hair on my grandpa’s head. My cousin told me about a time grandpa was talking to his brother and could not understand why the family car was going though tires so quick. Alan Crumrine told me Dan was taking the car to the speedway in Wichita and racing it.

Beverly, my mom passed away in June of 1966. She suffered from Lupus and would catch a cold or anything else she contacted in a crowd. At that time they only had penicillin and she built up an immunity to it and there was nothing else to help her. Just a few years ago she was telling me how hard it was to loose her because they spoke on the phone every day. I thought back as a child and I remember she was always on the phone. How hard that must have been for the calls to just stop.

Daniel lived much longer but not without complications. He had back problems, heart problems and I always said they were keeping him going with duct tape and bailing wire. Him and his wife Betty took grandma and Carol to Hawaii one year and had a great time. It must really be something because she said she would spend the money to go back. Most of you know, she did not throw money around needlessly. Grandma and Carol lived in Marion at the county lake. Dan and Betty also had a house on the front row. After Carol passed, grandma purchased a house in the town of Marion where her and Carol had been very active at the Eastmoor United Methodist Church.

My wife Sandi and I purchased the house right next door and fixed it up. We were traveling around the country doing merchandising for True Value Hardware Stores. So, I mentioned to her we may want to sell both of our houses and buy one together in Derby where my brother lived. That is how we ended up in Derby. In Derby, we joined the Madison Avenue United Methodist Church and was active. It is and was an older congregation which grandma really like. She was involved in Stitch and Chat. She was more of a Stitcher than a chatter however she really enjoyed it. There were activities and potluck dinners and she really enjoyed it as well as made new friends. She got to the point where she needed more help than just living with us so we checked into Avita Assisted Living Center. We had seen it being built when we lived in the original house we bought in the south part of Derby. We checked into 3 different facilities and this was the one we thought was the best. It was also new and not the most expensive. She was there almost 6 years. February would have made it 6 years. In the last few years she was declining in heath and mind. She loved playing bingo and go to where she could not play. She had a spell where she really declined however bounced back very well. Last Thursday, October 17th she fell and broke her hip. She was never going to leave the hospital bed she was in. At 101 they could not do anything for her hip. She passed away just before midnight on Monday October 22nd. The staff at Avita and Good Shephard Hospice did a great job of taking care of her and kept her medicated to minimize the pain.

Smith Family Mortuaries
1415 North Rock Rd
Derby, Kansas 67037
Phone: 316-788-2828

Family Members
Parents
John J. Wells
1891–1975
Mary Ann Richards Wells
1892–1987

Spouses
Clarence Daniel Crumrine
1910–1973
Carol Eugene Coleman
1916–2000

Siblings
Eula Maria Wells Malone
1912–1992
Hazel Olive Wells Hillis
1914–1992
Mary Lucille Wells Vick
1916–1997
John Cleland Wells
1920–2003
Wilbert Stanley Wells
1922–2004
Wanda Annette Wells Joy
1925–1997
Neva Jean Wells Linden
1927–2001
Helen Louise Wells Hastings
1928–2015
Robert Lewis Wells
1931–1969

Children
Beverly Ann Crumrine Duff
1938–1966
Daniel Lee Crumrine
1940–2009