Dorothy Shank

Dorothy Shank passed into the arms of our Lord on September 22, 2014 at Sunshine Gardens Country Home, where she received loving care from the staff and the Hospice of Mercy team members.
Dorothy was born January 18, 1922 in Omaha, Nebraska to Lila Willey Quale and Walter F Quale. An honors graduate of North High in Omaha, she attended the University of Nebraska, studying nursing.
She moved to Chicago where she met and married the love of her life, Bob Shank on January 30, 1943. They immediately moved to Los Angeles, California where work was waiting in the aircraft industry upon Bob’s college graduation. They were happily married over 65 years. Dorothy’s greatest joy was her family. She leaves 3 children, Bob Shank, Don Shank and Margien Gram; 4 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. She was proceded in death by her husband and a granddaughter, Krystin Shank. As the heart of a close knit family she was adored by everyone.
She loved quilting and was a charter member of the La Plata Quilters Guild. She also loved sewing, attending church with the family and gardening. Her children often referred to her as “mother nature.” She especially loved Durango in the fall with its resplendent colors. She and Bob moved to Durango in 1975, but had started vacationing here in 1950. The family fondly remembers early train rides, crossing Wolf Creek Pass before it was paved, lots of off-roading and hiking in our beautiful mountains.
While living in California she attended San Fernando Valley State College, served on the Board of Deacons and Session of Encino Presbyterian Church, where the family was active for over 40 years. She joined the PEO Sisterhood in 1972 in California and moved her membership to Chapter FX in Durango. Dorothy served Durango by volunteering as a coordinator for Meals on Wheels. She also tutored nursing students at Fort Lewis College.
A memorial service, internment and reception will be held at her church, The First United Methodist Church on September 30, 2014 at 10:00 a.m.