Dolly Irvin

Dolly Mae Irvin went to be with the Lord in the quiet morning hours of December 24, 2016.  Dolly was the daughter of Alonzo & Estella Clawson. She was raised with her two older brothers, Alonzo Jr. and Robert in Cedar Rapids, IA where she developed her active, outdoor lifestyle. She adored her older brothers and spent hours with them hunting and fishing along the crick near their home. She was an animal lover all her life and as a child collected pet snakes (a passion her brothers did not share). Later in life she raised dogs, and had pets ranging from raccoons to a tarantula spider.  She attended and graduated from Cedar Rapids High School.

Dolly moved to Goodland, KS in 1949 where she met and married Robert Irvin.  Together they raised four daughters, Terri Richardson (Terry) of Goodland, KS, Reva Bauman (Jerry) of Goodland, KS, Sonia Stallard (Charlie) of Colorado Springs, CO, and Lori Connorton (Terry) of Greenville, SC.  Dolly worked at Clawson Electric shortly after moving to Goodland. She also worked alongside her husband on the family farm doing everything from driving semi-tractor trailers to transporting farm animals.  Later in life she worked 5 years at Gibson's and 17 years at Walmart, retiring only due to health reasons at the age of 84.

Dolly was known for her high energy and active lifestyle. She played softball when she was younger and even took surfing lessons at the age of 69 while on vacation in California and went zip lining in Jamaica when she was 79 years old.  Her co-workers remarked about her fast paced walk and energizer bunny speed on the job.

She was passionate about her community serving as a Campfire/Bluebird leader; was a member of Goodland Rotary; and served as an Ambassador for the Chamber of Commerce.  She was a volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Hospice and opened her home as a foster home to abused and abandoned dogs through the NW Kansas Animal Shelter.

Dolly's love of God was deep and spanned her entire life.  She was saved at the early age of 8 and spent a lifetime serving the Lord. She played the piano at her church and served as a Sunday school teacher for many years. She was a member of Calvary Gospel Church.

Dolly was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and brothers. She is survived by her four children, four son-in-laws, seven grandchildren and their spouses, and nine great-grandchildren.

Dolly believed in living life to the fullest and passed away with no items remaining on her bucket list. She will be greatly missed by her family, friends, and community.