Goodbye Dorothea

By David Hartong
An unknown poet wrote:
It is not what we eat, but what we digest
That makes us strong,
Not what we gain, but what we save
That makes us rich.
Not what we read, but what we remember
That makes us learned,
And not what we profess, but what we practice
That makes us Christians.
On October 19, 1962, God set the pattern for my life. On that day He put Dorothea
Hays into my path. I was going home for my parents 25
th
anniversary, she had a ride. She
always called me her pick up. As we grew to know each other, going to Sunday School
and church at Ada Methodist for 3 years, we both felt it was a God thing. We knew from the
time we declared our love, that her motion disorder would possibly cut her life short or make
her an invalid. I had not yet known a prettier, more intelligent, Christian lady, sorry Mom.
As we planned life together I realized she was the image of her mother, a most caring
woman and a dedicated teacher.
The plan was to marry after we both graduated from ONU. One summer she stayed
for summer classes, teaching a beginning physics course to help pay for it. I understood her
determination when instead of graduating in June of 1966, she graduated in March. We were
married on March 26
th
. Weve had 48 years of wonderful marriage, with many God
moments along the way.
We found an apartment on Highland, two blocks from this church. We attended here
for four weeks until Uncle Sam requested my presence. I joined the Methodist Church in San
Antonio while at Ft. Sam Houston. As I was in officer basic training, Dorothea was able to
go with me to Texas. She found the library right away. Although her degree was in Math
Education, her first love was the library. We spent two years at Valley Forge General
Hospital in Phoenixville, PA. She navigated the paperwork hoops and taught math at
Pottstown. I was deployed to Korea and left when Ty was 4 weeks old. She and he bounced
between our parents, in Carrollton and East Greenville, until she found a library position at
Alliance High School.
After my return she pursued her dream and went to Kent State for a Masters in
Library Science. Then libraries became media centers, so she went back to Kent for a
Masters in Education/media supervision. Then, the state changed standards to one certified
librarian per district, instead of one per school. She stayed positive, knowing God would
provide.
North Canton had a position in the junior high for librarian/math teacher, a rather
uncommon combination. Say it with me, God will provide. After a few years there, the
superintendent, the third highest paid in Ohio, needed to cut costs. With her double masters
status, Dorothea was his first place to start. I think it should have been the second. She was
moved to the high school to teach remedial math to students from all three grades. They had
no desire to be there or to learn anything. It took a toll on her neurological difficulties and
eventually she was able to go on disability retirement.
Dorotheas mother had gotten them both hooked on British Mysteries, and Dorothea
had a pen pal in England. By the time of her retirement she had taken me to England. She
was able to locate and visit with her pen pal, after 20 years of no contact. She got deeper into
refunding and with her proceeds took me back to England four more times, two of them with
side trips to Western Europe. On our last visit in 2002, her knees were giving her problems
and another return was doubtful. She had saved and traded for Healthy Choice Air Mile
points and 90,000 got us business class for that flight. What a treat! She also saved 40,000
points to send her brother and his wife for their 25
th
anniversary, to visit our friends near
London. A God moment had put us with the Tricketts in British Christian Homes, Bed and
Breakfast. They were a wonderful Christian couple and Margarets ambition was to foster
Anglo/American relations.
Because of Dorotheas grit and determination, I have been able to take a train to the
top of the Jungfrau in the Alps, go up the Eiffel tower, and take pictures from the Eye of
London. We traveled to many sites of our John Wesley Heritage. Taking communion from a
Wesleyan chalice at City Road Chapel is a memory Ill never forget.
Her refunding/couponing also gave her the opportunity to help some less able
people to refund, and help themselves. I called them her lost puppies, they seemed to find
her, and follow her home. That was Dorothea, always looking for ways to help others. It was
in her DNA from her mother, always leave others better off than when you found them.
Why did I love her so? She made life better for everyone around her and she
gave me three of the best sons a man could ask for. She nurtured them, helped write the
Perry Schools Learning Disabilities policies, encouraged them in the professions they chose,
and gave them a firm Christian foundation. Our vacations always included learning
experiences, especially in American and Ohio History.
As her condition regressed, she became more and more disabled. She continued
to think more about helping others than dwelling on her problems. She clipped coupons as
long as her vision allowed. At age 67, her neurologist went over 30 years of records at the
practice and determined she must have had a brain injury early in life. After learning her
mother had suffered placenta previa at her delivery he was convinced she should have been
diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth. At that point he said to stop all further diagnostic tests
and go for comfort, rather than cure. We knew then that the clock was started. She didnt
complain or curse God. She accepted it with the grace and dignity for which I had come to
love her all those years ago.
As we got her power chair, an elevator on the porch, a hoyer lift at her hospital
bed, and a mobility van she took each step in stride, knowing that the clock was ticking.
With those helps she was able to get around and we could visit our grandchildren in Ohio
and Alabama. Since all ten grandchildren now live in southern Ohio, she was becoming
more able to visit.
If you are allowed a little pride, hers was in her sons, their choice of wives, and her
grandchildren. It is my hope that they learn from her life, to rely on God. He will grant you
patience, perseverance, and fortitude, if you will only accept them. If they honor her legacy
of leaving people better off than you found them, it will serve them well. After all, greatness
is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. Greatness is found in goodness,
humility, service, and character.
I just wanted you to know why I loved her so much. And, why I kept the
promise I made to her that day, sitting on a pile of railroad ties, near the Ada Grain
Elevator.
Another unknown poet said:
Shamgan had an ox goad
David had a sling
Dorcas had a needle
Rehab had some string
Mary had some ointment
Moses had a rod,
Have you some small talent
Youll dedicate to God? Amen

----------------
Note: After Dave concluded his eulogy, he asked me to share a few words of the Gospel
message. I dont remember exactly what I said, but they were based on 2 Corinthians
5. I said more than this, but this is all that was written down. Pastor John Partridge
---------------
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an
eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
2
Meanwhile we groan, longing to be
clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,
3
because when we are clothed, we will not be
found naked.
4
For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not
wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is
mortal may be swallowed up by life.
5
Now the one who has fashioned us for this very
purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we
are away from the Lord.
7
For we live by faith, not by sight.
8
We are confident, I say, and
would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
9
So we make it our goal
to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
10
For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the
things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Dorotheas groaning has been completed. For those of us who believe, we have every
confidence that as Dorothea breathed her last breaths on earth, she was already on her way to
her new, eternal home in heaven.
The Apostle Paul was a tent maker and he describes our earthly body, not as a permanent
home, but as a tent, something temporary, a place where we stay while we are on the road to
someplace better. Today, Dorothea has left her tent behind and has gone ahead to her
permanent home that has been made for her in heaven.
In Philippians 1:21-30, Paul determines that while death is better by far so that he could
depart and be with Christ, it was necessary for him to continue living because of the
important work that Christ had given him to do.
While Dorotheas work has been completed, we remain. The message of scripture and of
the Apostle Paul is that the rest of us have been left behind because we have important work
to do for the kingdom of Jesus Christ. We have every confidence that when our work is
done, we will join Dorothea in the eternal home that Jesus is preparing for us.
If there are any of you who do not have this hope and this confidence, please be sure to
speak to me or to Dave before you leave today.
-----
Obituary for
Dorothea H. Hartong
January 23, 1944 - September 16, 2014

Dorothea H. Hartong passed on to her reward on
Tuesday, September 16, 2014. Born in Pittsburgh, PA
January 23, 1944, she was the daughter of Warren and
Dorothea Hays. Dorothea graduated from Carrollton
High School and was in the band and French Club.
She earned a BA from Ohio Northern University
where she was a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority,
the marching band, and Wesley Fellowship. She was
awarded the MLS and M.Ed. degrees from Kent
State. Dorothea was a medical librarian at Mercy
Medical Center and was a librarian/teacher at several
schools. Her last position was with North Canton City
Schools.
Dorothea is survived by her husband of 48 years, David T. Hartong; three sons, David Ty,
Allan (Alicia), and Brad (Monica); ten grandchildren; Zak, Gretchen, Titus, Rachael,
Nathan, Margaret, Lincoln, Agustus, Isaac, and Sally (all Hartongs). She leaves her mother-
in-law, Della Hartong; a brother, Jay Hays (Doris); a brother-in-law, Daniel Hartong (Carol);
a sister-in-law, Sandra Prentice; and nine nephews and nieces.
Dorothea was past president of the Friends of Perry Library and her refunding group
provided prizes for their summer reading programs. She also led the Helping Hands
Refunders at Wesley UMC and was a former United Methodist Lay Speaker. A dyed in the
wool Anglophile, she visited England five times.
Visitation is Monday 9:30 to 11:00 AM at Trinity United Methodist Church, with the funeral
to follow at 11:00 AM. Burial will be in Sunset Hills Memorial Gardens. Memorials may be
sent to Trinity United Methodist Church, 3757 Lincoln Way East, Massillon, Ohio 44646.