Obituaries : Dorothy Marie Gentle

Van Steenhuyse-Russell Funeral Home Dorothy Marie Gentle, 87, of Marion, formerly of Vinton, died peacefully Saturday, September 10, 2016 at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Hiawatha following a sudden illness. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, September 15 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Vinton with Fr. Ardel Barta as celebrant. Visitation will be for an hour before mass at the church. Inurnment will follow in Evergreen Cemetery, Vinton. Dorothy was born June 24, 1929, in Waterloo, Iowa, the daughter of Joseph and Nellie Mercurio Gentle. Her family moved to Vinton in 1941. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1947. She worked in retail, at her parents' grocery and at the Me Too store in Vinton for many years. Dorothy enjoyed cooking, knitting and was an avid bridge player. She moved to Cedar Rapids in 1993 and retired from the linen department of Montgomery Ward in May of 1999. Since 2007 she has lived in Marion. She belonged to St. Mary Catholic Church in Vinton and she was a current member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marion. Dorothy is survived by her nephew, Joseph (Sonja) Bridge and niece, Stephanie (James Heistand) Bridge. She was preceded in death by her parents and two sisters: Rose "Babe" Gentle and Dolly Bridge-Kauffman, both of Marion. Memorials will be directed to Horizons Meals on Wheels in Cedar Rapids. Van Steenhuyse-Russell Funeral Home is caring for Dorothy and her family. Condolences may be sent to vsrfh.com.