Dorothy Maurine Foster, 90, of North Platte, NE passed away surrounded by her family on Saturday, January 19, 2013, at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte.
Dorothy was born near York, NE on September 18, 1922, to Carl Albert Lewis and Mary Aileen Witter Halverson. The family later moved to the hills south of Maxwell where Carl was a tenant farmer during her younger years. Dorothy began her education in a one room school and graduated 8th grade from Miller School. She attained her GED from Adult Basic Education in 1974.
In 1939 Dorothy married Charles Kelsey in Twin Falls, ID. Five boys were born to this union.
Dorothy married John Henry Foster in 1950 in North Platte and four boys and three girls were born to this union.
Dorothy was a member of the Church of Christ (Walker Road) and the North Platte Eagles Club. She worked at Lincoln Elementary in the school lunch program during a brief period and volunteered with their reading program. She also worked as a nurse’s aide at Linden Manor, but mostly stayed at home and took care of her family. Dorothy especially enjoyed reading, solving crossword puzzles, gardening and her cats.
Survivors include her children, Robert (Loni) Kelsey, Tom (Meri) Kelsey, Mary (Don) Goosey and Abby Foster, all of North Platte, Jack (Susan) Kelsey, of Little Rock, AR, Steven Kelsey, of Omaha, NE, Mark Foster, of Lincoln, Joel (Brenda) Foster, of Paducah, KY, Anne (Paul) McQueen, of Georgetown, TX; her sister, Betty Dowhower, of North Platte; brothers, Gale, of Grand Island, NE and Carl (Diane), of Cedar, MN; sister-in-law, Marjorie Taylor, of North Platte; 26 grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren; one great great-grandchild; her longtime friend, Lucile Larson; and other friends and family.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Mary Halverson; her husband John; three sons, Gerald Kelsey, John H. Foster, Jr. and Kent Foster; a sister, Barbara Bare; five brothers, Don, Richard, Gordon, James and Kenny Halverson; and her granddaughter, Sandra Kay Smolik.
Her granddaughter, Sharon Axthelm, remembers two of Dorothy’s quotes that “getting old isn’t for the weak” and “shuffle off this mortal coil”.
Funeral service will be 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 23, 2013, at the Church of Christ (Walker Road) with Ned Cooper officiating. Burial will follow in Fort McPherson National Cemetery. Visitation will be from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday with family greeting friends from 5 to 7 p.m. at Odean Colonial Chapel At C & Sycamore. Condolences may also be shared at odeanchapel.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Church of Christ or Paws-itive Partners. Odean Colonial Chapel At C & Sycamore is in charge of arrangements.