Dorothy Lavaun Reynolds

Dorothy Lavaun Reynolds

Dorothy Lavaun Reynolds was born September 25, 1929, to Frank and Mamie Calhoun on the farm near Kellerton, Iowa. She was welcomed by older brother Bob and 7 years later, sister Emma Kay.

Dorothy’s early years were spent on a farm near Mount Ayr. She and brother Bob rode the Shetland pony to the country school nearby.

In 1939 during the Depression, Dorothy’s family, including three aunts and their families, loaded up their cars and headed for Oregon. They stopped in Boise, Idaho where they all lived in a box car. The children attended school, and the adults worked in the orchards. From there they moved to Oregon. Sibling twins Donna and Don were born. Dorothy worked at an ice cream shop and also in some of the truck fruit patches and hop fields. She attended high school in Corvalis.

On one of the family trips back to Mount Ayr, Dorothy met Norman Reynolds. They dated a few times and wrote back and forth. Norman came to Oregon with his parents in 1947 and brought Dorothy back to Iowa where they got married June 13, 1947.

They raised their family in Mount Ayr. Dorothy worked at the Princess Theater with her husband, she cleaned houses and babysat. There are a lot of kids that call her “Grandma Dot.”   She was always busy. She enjoyed flowers and gardening – canning the produce. She liked garage sales, fishing, crocheting, making quilts, and spending time with family.
Dorothy went home to heaven, July 8, 2024.  She was preceded in death by daughter, Barbara Ann, husband, Norman, great granddaughter Alyssa Kuonen, her parents, and brothers Bob and Don.

Dorothy is survived by her children Gregory (Donna) of Van Wert, IA; Dennis (Barbara) of Nevada, IA; Kenneth (Vicki) of Des Moines, IA; and John of Des Moines, IA; 16 grandchildren; 46 great grandchildren; 13 great great grandchildren; sisters Donna Bates and Emma Kay Lugenbell. Services were held July 13, 2024, at 2 p.m. Armstrong Funeral Home, Mount Ayr, Iowa was in charge of the arrangements.