Dorcas Kallmer

Dorcas Kallmer, age 99, of Storm Lake, Iowa died Friday, March 7, 2014 at the Methodist Manor Retirement Community in Storm Lake. With the passing of Dorcas Kallmer, Storm Lake loses one of her true grand ladies. Her circle of friends and acquaintances spanned the country from the shakers and movers of the town to the rural farm women. She was mentor to a generation of 4H girls. She was a generous giver to noble causes and to those in need. Her name adorns the Kallmer Education Center at the hospital and the baby grand piano at Lake Pointe Villa. She also donated a bus to the Presbyterian Church. Dorcas, Dorothy, and Doris were triplets born to Mr. and Mrs. John McPherrin of rural Oakland, Iowa. They were life-long best friends. Another sister, Mary, came along three years later. The three triplets altogether weighed scarcely ten pounds at birth. Their health was delicate and they were kept indoors until they were ten. One annoyance they had to endure was sitting in the window and watching roughneck Mary frolicking in the snow. They had horses. One time Dorcas was riding behind Mary on the horse â€œBuckâ€. This horse was named Buck for a reason. If you moved your foot too far back to its flank it bucked you off. Sure enough, Mary landed on Dorcasâ€™ arm and Dorcas got a broken arm. Pottawattamie County is so long it has two county seats. It is a country of big long hills. The girls had a half mile walk to their first school, a one-room school down in the valley. Today only a few trees mark the spot. In due time, they graduated from Oakland High School. The triplets were musical and formed their own trio with Doris on piano and Dorothy on violin. Dorcas played the cello. Dorcas also played with the Oakland town Orchestra Band. That was before they had such a thing as Band in the schools. The three of them went away to college at Columbia, Missouri, where they shared a large room together, then to Maryville, Missouri. They all three began as teachers. Dorcas taught school for five years. She worked on her Masters at Fort Collins, Colorado, and Ames, Iowa. After that she became a Home Economist in Ida County and before long transferred to the larger Buena Vista County. In Storm Lake, she rented the front apartment in the home of Floyd â€œStubâ€ Kallmer, then a hard-working businessman and father of three little boys. In 1964 they were married. Dorcas, she would say, hit the jackpot: a husband, three boys, and a dog! Koko, the dog fell in love with Dorcas first. He would go missing every night. â€œWhere is that darn dog?â€ As if he didnâ€™t know. He would jump in his pickup and drive over to Dorcasâ€™. â€œBad dog!â€ She was a prominent member of many organizations and received numerous awards. While in Buena Vista she received the Distinguished Service Award for outstanding work for the county, and the 4H Award. She was a member of Lakeside Presbyterian Church. She taught Sunday school and was a deacon. She belonged to the Garden Club, Questers, BPW and Wa tan ya. She was active in church, school, and community. Those left to cherish her memory include her sister, Dorothy Bane of Oakland, Iowa; step-children: William (LaDon) Kallmer of Omaha, Nebraska; James (Diane) Kallmer of Seattle, Washington; step-grandchildren: Timothy (Sunny) Kallmer of Austin, Texas; Cherlyn (Brent) Humburg of Atlanta, Georgia; Jonathan (Dylana) Kallmer and Brent Kallmer of Washington, D.C.; nieces, nephews; step-great grandchildren; extended family and friends. Dorcas was preceded in death by her husband, Floyd Kallmer, step-son: Robert Kallmer; and her sisters, Doris Skinner and Mary McArthur.

Dorcas Kallmer

May 19, 1914 - March 7, 2014