Dorothy JoAnn VanTries, born August 13, 1937, of Spring Valley, passed away peacefully on September 10, 2022, surrounded by loved ones after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
She was married to Donald VanTries on August 21, 1955, in the Spring Valley Baptist Church, where they were members for many years. They were together the rest of Dorothy’s life – over 67 years of companionship and love.
Dorothy and Donald owned moving and storage trucking companies through the years, where Dorothy managed all office activities. Later, while living in California, she focused her career on assisting children with special needs, which she enjoyed so much. Once back in Spring Valley, Dorothy began working with the Kingsland School District as a paraprofessional. Her students called her “Grandma Dorothy” and she cared for each of them greatly. She was very proud of the people she helped and the friendships she made with students and coworkers. They were very important to her.
Dorothy loved sewing and cooking, but her true artistic passion was painting. She was very talented, working with various mediums, but her finest work was with oil paints. She created many oil paintings that have and will continue to be cherished for years. Dorothy also loved to travel the country with her husband. She was an avid football fan, a cancer survivor and she loved the biggest hugs.
Dorothy is survived by her husband Donald VanTries, daughter Suzanne (VanTries) Gardner, grandson Jere (Kelly) Loder, granddaughters Jenn (Alex) Slifka and Steph (Nick) Thouin, and great-grandchildren, Rhiannon, Piper, Kellan, Jude and Merrick.
She was preceded in death by her parents Deloise and Nellie (Long) Bacon, brother Rodney (Nancy) Bacon, and sister Janet (Bacon) Wolf.