Dorothea "Dottie" Ruth Van Ooyen

Dorothea (Dottie) R Van Ooyen, 83, passed away on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 in Sandpoint, Idaho. Calling hours and visitation will be on Tuesday, January 29th, from noon until 6:00pm at Coffelt Funeral Service. Interment will be in Pinecrest Memorial Park. Dottie was born in Evansville, Indiana the daughter of Clarence and Frieda Meyer on May 16, 1929. She attended school at Capitol University in Columbus, Ohio graduating in 1951. While completing her degree in education she met her life’s dear heart, Jerry Van Ooyen. She was married by her father, the Reverend Clarence Meyer, on August 19, 1951 in the Emanual Lutheran Church in Evansville, Indiana. Jerry and Dottie would live in Bloomington, Indiana while Jerry played football for Indiana University. They would live in Blue Island, Illinois and El Paso, Texas where Jerry enlisted into the United States Air Force. Jerry and Dottie would then relocate in 1957 to Carablanca, Morocco where he was stationed. In 1960, they moved to Ramona, California where Dottie finished her post graduate degree at San Diego State University. She taught music at Ramona High School form 1964 to 1966, then 4th grade from 1967 to 1970. In 1970, they would move to Sandpoint where they had vacationed many times during the summers. She was active in the First Lutheran Church becoming the choir director there from 1972 to 1995. They were also active in the Clark Fork Lutheran Church where she shared organist duties for many years. Dottie loved cooking and tending her famous vegetable garden. She avidly followed basketball and football. She gained some notoriety for taking the local NFL football pool for several years running. The lights of her life were her granddaughter Jenny, her “Jerr,” her son and daughter in law. Dottie is survived by her Son Randy (Jolanda) Van Ooyen, granddaughter Jenny, three sisters Freida Hunt of San Diego, CA, Lil Markham of Texarkana, TX and Mary Eisele of Atlanta, GA. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband Jerry. Memorials may be made to the Clark Fork Lutheran Church, Clark Fork, Idaho in memory of Dottie Van Ooyen.