Dorothy A. James Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Dorothy “Dot” (Olson) James, age 97, of Ames, Iowa, formerly of Storm Lake, Iowa died January 26, 2022 in Ames, after a several-year struggle with Alzheimer’s. Memorial Services will take place Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. with visitation starting at 1:00 p.m. at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in STORM LAKE. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements. Dorothy Ann Olson was born in Milford, Iowa on May 29, 1924, to Clinton and Hazel (Titterington) Olson. She and her parents moved to Long Beach, CA in 1937 to be near her two brothers, stationed there in the Navy. In 1942, she graduated from Pomona High School and enrolled at Los Angeles County General Hospital School of Nursing, graduating with an R.N. degree in 1945. While in nurses training, she joined the Cadet Nurse Corps. During her last six months of training, she was assigned to Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco, followed by Dibble General Hospital at Menlo Park. Both of these were Army hospitals that were the primary hospitals for treating sick and wounded soldiers from the Pacific battles of World War II. After the war, she worked at hospitals in the Los Angeles area. Dorothy moved back to Milford, Iowa and married Ivan James on October 25, 1947. They farmed near Milford before moving to Ames, where Ivan finished his degree at Iowa State. In 1952, they moved to Storm Lake, where they resided for 53 years and raised their two daughters, Carol and Connie. They moved to Ames in 2006, and they happily celebrated 70 years of marriage in 2017. Dorothy’s priorities were at home, where she found fulfillment in being a wife, mother, and homemaker. She loved cooking, collecting and trying new recipes, sewing, and gardening. She was fun-loving and enjoyed get-togethers with relatives and the many friends she and Ivan had. One of Dorothy’s life-long interests was music. She enjoyed listening to many types of music and also sang in the Methodist Church choir for twenty-five years. She was an avid sports fan, especially of the ISU Cyclones and Chicago Cubs. When her grandson was young, she was especially fond of watching him participate in sports and listening to him play the piano. Dorothy and Ivan spent many winters in retirement in Texas and Arizona, where they enjoyed the warm weather, dancing, visiting local sites, and making new friends. Each winter in Texas, they looked forward to taking clothes, writing materials, and candy to needy children in Mexico. Dorothy and Ivan loved traveling and they visited all parts of the U.S. as well as Canada and Mexico. Dorothy was a nature-lover who enjoyed spending time outdoors. In recent years, Reiman Gardens in Ames was a favorite place to walk among the plants and flowers and visit the butterfly wing at the gardens. Surviving Dorothy are daughters: Carol (Rob) Thorson; Connie James (Bill Dodds); grandson Eric (Lea) Thorson; seven nieces and nephews. She will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her. Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Ivan, in January 2018, her parents, brothers: Vernon Dale Olson and James Olson. Those who wish to make memorial gifts at this time in Dorothy’s name may make them to Reiman Gardens, sending them to Carol Thorson, c/o Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home, 1615 W. Milwaukee Ave., Storm Lake, IA 50588.

Dorothy A. James

May 29, 1924 - January 26, 2022