Dorothy E. Meckfessel, 1950 RN Graduation
Dorothy Edna
Meckfessel of Cottonwood was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on Dec. 14, 1926 to Frederick and Pauline
nee Schroeder Meckfessel. The name Meckfessel was derived from Meckvessel in
the state of Mecklenberg in Germany, located in former Prussia. Dorothy passed
away peacefully on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014 with her friend of 22 years, Diane
Joens, holding her hand. She attained the age of 87 years and one month. Caring
friends in Cottonwood who also helped Dorothy along the way were Vickie
Tillemans and Randy Keenan.
Dorothy received
a three-year registered nurse’s diploma from the Evangelical Deaconess Hospital
School of Nursing in St. Louis, Missouri on Sept. 7, 1950. She was accepted and
attended the University of Missouri Medical School in 1956, a feat unheard of
for a female in the 1950s. Although she did not become a doctor, in 1957 she earned
a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from the University of Missouri, aided by
all the pre-med and medical school classes she had completed. In 1964 Dorothy
courageously traveled alone to India, volunteering for six months at the
Frances Newton Hospital in Ferozepore, India. This interesting journey is
described in her autobiography, The
Fascinating Life of an Ordinary Person. In 1970 she returned to India via a
sightseeing tour sponsored by Overseas Families and Friends and was richly
blessed by the people of India. Dorothy was also the author of Your Via Dolorosa (Latin for “way of
sorrow”) and Victory.
Dorothy’s career
in nursing spanned more than 30 years. She served as a staff nurse at the East
Deaconess Hospital in St. Louis; as a staff nurse and recovery room nurse at
Ellis Fischel State Cancer Hospital in Columbia, Missouri; as an intensive care
nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona; as a surgical intensive
care nurse at St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico; as a staff nurse on
the surgical floor at Cox Medical Center in Springfield, Missouri; as a staff
nurse on the surgical floor at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas; and
as a staff nurse on the surgical floor at Medical Plaza Hospital in Fort Worth,
Texas. When she worked at St. Joseph’s in Phoenix, intensive care nursing was a
new frontier and Dorothy was on the forefront.
From 1982 until
retirement in 1989, she worked as a staff nurse in nursing homes in Phoenix,
Sun City and Sedona. Dorothy had a special place in her heart for people living
in nursing homes and was an advocate for excellent resident and medical care. When
she attended an annual National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform in
Arlington, Virginia, she met Martha Mohler, a knowledgeable and dedicated
advocate for improving conditions in the nation’s nursing homes. Martha was
Senior Policy Advisor for the National Committee to Preserve Social Security
and Medicare in Washington, D.C. They remained good friends throughout the
years.
The Verde Valley
Senior Center Meals on Wheels program and Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition helped
Dorothy remain independent in her beloved home at the Verde Valley Manor.
Dorothy was especially appreciative of her health care providers, Dr. Devin
Mikles, Dr. Kenneth Bescak and staff. Recent care provided by Hospice
Compasses, Northern Arizona Hospice, Abrio and the Verde Valley Medical Center was
also greatly appreciated. Dorothy enjoyed taking classes at the Osher Lifelong
Learning Institute at Yavapai College and made many friends there.
Requesting
no services, Dorothy instead planned an informal open house in her home where
her written material will be available to anyone who is interested, and the
song The Impossible Dream will be
played. The open house will be held on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at
3400 East Godard Road, Apt. 75A. Parking is located at Godard Hall.
Dorothy
was preceded in death by her parents and siblings Fred, Don and Harriet
Meckfessel. She is survived by several nieces and nephews, most of whom live in
Missouri and Kansas. Special cards of condolence may be sent to Dorothy’s
lifelong friends, Bill and Mary Lou Scott of Florissant, MO; goddaughter Pamela
and Steve Berra of Crestwood, MO; Nancy Czyzewski of Webster Groves, MO; Martha
Mohler of Chevy Chase, MD; Dr. Devin Mikles of Sedona; Dr. Kenneth Bescak of
Cottonwood, and Diane Joens of Cottonwood.
Memorials
in Dorothy’s memory may be made to the Verde Valley Senior Center’s Meals on
Wheels program. Meals on Wheels is a lifeline to seniors throughout the Verde
Valley, helping them maintain their independence and enabling them to stay in
their homes longer. This independence was very important to Dorothy. The mailing
address of the Verde Valley Senior Center is P.O. Box 681, Cottonwood, AZ 86326.
The Senior Center is located at 500 E. Cherry St. in Cottonwood. Memorial donations may also
be made via paypal on their website: verdevalleyseniorcenter.org.
Always
the educator, Dorothy donated her body to the University of Arizona College of
Medicine. Friends were important to Dorothy, who never married. She wrote “My
love will live on in the wonderful friends who supported and loved me.”
Dorothy E. Meckfessel, 2013
Researched
and written by Diane Joens
