Obituary: Harvey, Dorothy Louise Suess

HARVEY,
Dorothy Louise
(Suess)

The Lord welcomed an angel home on Monday, July 23 when Dorothy Harvey died at her home in Steptoe.

She was 88 years old.

Dorothy was born in Steptoe on March 2, 1924 to Henry and Emily (Kempe) Suess.

She attended all 12 years of school in Steptoe.

Following graduation, she worked as a nurse’s aide at the Bryant & Wiseman Clinic in Colfax.

In 1943, she married Raymond (Cloy) Harvey at her parent’s home.

Dorothy and Cloy had three children together; Richard, Marie, and Susan.

One highlight of Dorothy’s later life was being reunited with her daughter Lynda, whom she had given up for adoption 50 years earlier.

Dorothy devoted her life to being a farm wife and a mother.

Cloy and she raised registered Hereford cattle in addition to farming.

She was a board member, secretary, and caretaker for the Steptoe (Bethel) Cemetery.

She was a long time director of the Steptoe Fireman’s Booth at the Palouse Empire Fair.

Dorothy was an active member and past president of the Thrifty Grandmother’s Club as well as the Whitman County Cowbelles.

She served as a board member for the Steptoe Community Church and the Steptoe School District.

She enjoyed collecting antiques from auctions and garage sales.

Dorothy’s true passion was helping others, which included providing food, clothing and compassion to community members, baking cakes for birthdays, organizing funeral dinners for local families, delivering baked goods to workers all over Steptoe and Colfax, and she kept many area farmers’ shops stocked with her famous “rag bags”.

Her children and grandchildren will always remember the care packages that she created for them at Christmas time.

She had tremendous pride for the Steptoe community.

Many considered her the Steptoe historian, beings that she lived her entire life there.

She was selected as the very first co-grand marshal of the Steptoe Bust Your Butte Days parade.

When Dorothy passed, Steptoe lost a piece if itself that can never be replaced.

Survivors include her son Richard Harvey, Steptoe, and her daughters Susan (Jeff) Barbee, Yakima, and Lynda (Dave) Sullivan, Black Butte, Oregon.

She had nine grandchildren: Carol (Jim) Larsen, Trudi Allenbach, Karen Aeschliman, all of Colfax.

Joe (Kim) Harvey of Kennewick, Diana (Kirk) Moser of Troy, Idaho, Kristi Snow of Coos Bay, Oregon, Jason (April) Snow of Phoenix, Arizona, JP (Erin) Barbee and Jarrod (Angie) Barbee, both of Yakima.

Dorothy was blessed with 18 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great grandson and a lot of honorary grandchildren and caregivers that meant the world to her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Cloy, a daughter Marie and siblings Karl Suess, Bob Suess, Hank Suess, Otto Suess and Nora Kinsinger.

A service celebrating Dorothy’s life will be held at the Steptoe Grange Hall on Saturday, August 4th at 11:00 AM.

Food and fellowship will follow with interment taking place at the Steptoe (Bethel) Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Bethel Cemetery in Steptoe or the Whitman County Friends of Hospice.