Holding strong to her faith in Jesus and with her loving husband and daughters by her side, Dorothy Verdeen LaJimodiere, 82, of Bryan, Texas passed away Wednesday, February 13, 2013.
Visitation will be held at Callaway-Jones Funeral Home Sunday, February 17, from 5 to 8 pm with Reverend Monsignor John C. Malinowski praying the Rosary at 6:00 pm. A funeral Mass will take place at 10 am Monday, February 18, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bryan with Reverend Monsignor John A. McCaffrey officiating. A Christian burial will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Bryan.
Dorothy was born October 10, 1930, in Cardston, Alberta, Canada to Frederick and Elva (Tongue) Wagner. She graduated from Flathead County High School in Kalispell, Montana in 1949. Dorothy married Leonard Joseph LaJimodiere at St. Ann’s Cathedral in Great Falls, Montana on August 23, 1952. They recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
Dorothy’s life was one of unselfish love and service. Following in the footsteps of her mother’s love for nursing, Dorothy received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1954 from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Dorothy’s compassionate and caring nature showed throughout her 58 years of nursing practice, from her serving as a Pediatric staff nurse at the Deaconess Hospital in Great Falls, Montana, where she was known as the “nurse with the freckles who could give painless shots,” to an Orthopedics and Rehabilitation nursing supervisor at Marquette General Hospital in Marquette, Michigan to a staff nurse and then as a Medicare Coordinator for the Skilled Nursing Unit at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan, Texas. Untold thousands of lives have been touched by her healing spirit.
Dorothy raised a Christ-centered family and graciously exemplified a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and soon-to-be great-grandmother. Dorothy enjoyed dancing, gardening, family vacations, and especially reading the Bible. Her favorite flowers were red roses and all colors of pansies. She enjoyed many rich friendships while a member of St. Joseph’s Age Managers and Brazos Valley Senior Citizens.
Among the many who loved her and whom she loved, Dorothy is survived by her husband, Leonard; her children, Cynthia LaJimodiere of Bryan, Texas; Katherine (John) Kaney of Rockford, Illinois, Cheri (Thomas) Sprague of Hamilton, New Jersey, and Cheryl (Kevin) Morris of Amarillo, Texas; her grandchildren Andrew (Jessica) Kaney, Kristina Kaney, Matthew (Brooke) Kaney, Abigail Sprague, Eric Bloomer, Travis Bloomer, Michael Bloomer, and Christopher Morris; her soon to be great-granddaughter Emma Grace Kaney; and her sister Helen Stevens.
She is preceded in death by her son, Stephen Joseph LaJimodiere; her parents, Fred and Elva Wagner; her sister, Doloris Aldridge; and her brothers, Lloyd Zieman and Gordon Wagner.
The family would like to thank the staff of the Hospice Brazos Valley Inpatient Facility in Bryan for their warm and loving compassion during our time of need and to the Critical Care Unit nursing staff and the Palliative and Supportive Care Team at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan.
Memorial donations may be made to Hospice Brazos Valley, 502 W. 26th, Bryan, Texas, 77803.
You may view her Book of Memories™ at CallawayJones.com