Person talk:Dorothy van Tholen (1)

[11 July 2013]

Dorothy Goldschmeding

Life Story

Dorothy Goldschmeding was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother. Described by her family as caring and fun loving, with a warm sense of humor, Dorothy was a woman of great faith. Blessed with an inner strength that carried her through good times and bad, she shared her faith through her work ethic and her willingness to serve others. By the 1920’s there were 106,521,537 people in the United States, and Chicago was one of the biggest cities. It was all about gangland crime, with AlCapone making all the headlines.

For Jon and Grace (Winter) Van Tholen, living in the Chicago area, their life was all about making a living and caring for their family. John worked long hours at his garbage hauling business while Grace worked equally as hard caring for their home and raising their five children. On August 24, 1924, they welcomed the birth of child number six, daughter Dorothy. Later, with the birth of child number seven, the Van Tholen home rang with the childhood sounds of Dorothy and her sisters Dena, Grace and Margie and her brothers Henry, Richard, and John. With a large family to care for, Dorothy soon learned the advantages of a strong work ethic, a philosophy she would carry with her throughout her life. Dorothy attended the Timothy School through the 10th grade. Illness forced her to leave school, but she later earned her GED and went on to Parson’s Business School where she received the secretarial training that would provide her with employment until the age of 79. Dorothy was also very musical and often played the organ at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. It was her honor and privilege to accompany George Beverly Shea, the great Gospelsinger who has traveled with Billy Graham throughout his ministry. One day, while playing the organ at church, Dorothy met a handsome young soldier named John Goldschmeding. He was immediately attracted to this lovely young lady with the red hair and Dorothy was equally smitten by the dashing young serviceman – she just knew that he was the one for her. After a time ofsweet courtship, the couple was married on June 19, 1946. John was from Kalamazoo and they decided to move there to start their new life together. Dorothy loved being married and together she and John were blessed with four wonderful children – Roger, Richard, Jim and Kathy. Her family always came first. While John worked at the lumberyard, Dorothy stayed at home caring for the home and the children. When the kids were school age, Dorothy began working for Portage Schools in one of the school cafeterias. This was a perfect job for a mother as her working hours coincided with the children’s school hours. Dorothy, through her hard work and dedication, eventually became head of the cafeteria at Waylee Elementary School. As her family grew older, Dorothy decided to use the secretarial skills she had learned at Parson’s. Going through temporary agencies, she would be placed in a position, and then hired on permanently. The work ethic learned as a young girl, her outgoing personality and friendliness, coupled with her willingness to learn and work with new technology made Dorothy an asset wherever she worked. She worked for several businesses in the area, and just retired in February – at the age of 79! When grandchildren came into Dorothy’s life, she continued her staunch support of family. She was an important part of their lives and attended many of their school activities and other endeavors. She was their biggest fan in all they did. Along with her family, Dorothy’s church and her faith in God were the cornerstones of her life. A member of the Portage First Reformed Church, she served as a Sunday school teacher, a youth group leader for 14 years, sang in the choir – and played the organ. During the 33 years that she was church11-07-13 Print: DorothyGoldschmeding - Portage, MI :Aug 24th1924- Nov28th2004 www.lifestorynet.com/print/4923 2/2 organist, Dorothy played for many weddings and funerals. She used her talents on the organ as a way to spread her own ministry, and planted strong seeds of faith in her children. Tragedy struck in 1974. Dorothy’s beloved husband, John, died that February, and just a few months later her son Roger was killed in a plane crash. It was a very difficult time for her, but her strong faith and keeping busy with her family supported her through this tough time. Dorothy Goldschmeding was a vibrant and outgoing person. Never one to “let grass grow under her feet”, she never thought of her self as old and always acted much younger than she really was. She taught her children many values, such as “cleanliness is next to Godliness”, a willingness to serve others, having a free spirit, and family always comes first. Dorothy had many friends and touched many lives over the years. She will be greatly missed by all. Dorothy Goldschmeding died on Sunday, November 28, 2004. She was preceded in death by her husband John and her son Roger in 1974, and by her 3 brothers Henry, Richard, and John Van Tholen. Learn more about Dorothy, view her Life Story film and visit with her friends and family on Wednesday from 2-4 and 6-8 pm at the Rupert, Durham, Marshall and Gren Lifestory Funeral Home, Portage Chapel. Memorialservices will be held at 1pm on Thursday at the same location. Members of Dorothy’s family include her 3 children:Richard and his wife Barb Goldschmeding of Schoolcraft, Jim and his wife Sue Goldschmeding of Otsego, and Kathy and her husband Mike Descheneau of Vicksburg; 8 grandchildren:Ryan and his wife Lisa Brown, RandallJ Brown, Jon and his wife Amie Goldschmeding, Josh Goldschmeding, Jennifer Goldschmeding, Jeremy Goldschmeding, Courtney Goldschmeding, Sam Goldschmeding; 3 great grandchildren: Hailey Grace Brown, Kelby and Allie Goldschmeding; 3 sisters: Dena Rooney, Grace Bolt, Marge Slater, and 4 sisters-in-law: Nell Kieweit and Betty Wilder, Marge Van Tholen, Stella Van Tholen; and good friend Harris Walters. Please visit Dorothy’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you may share a favorite memory, order flowers or make a memorial donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society--henk 03:34, 11 July 2013 (EDT)