Dorothy Mae (Finney) Koons, age 95, of Avilla, died in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. The cause was complications due to COVID-19 and advanced dementia.
Born July 30, 1925, in Spencer, Indiana, to Elmer and Josephine Finney, she attended Cloverdale High School. She graduated from Indiana State Teachers College in 1946 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics Education. She moved to Rome City, Indiana for her first job at twenty-one years of age with her best friend, Eileen (Irons) Lumm. Her passion for teaching included a career at the Rome City, Kendallville and Avilla, Indiana public schools.
In Avilla she met the local grocer with a penchant for political gab. Dorothy married James L. Koons on the morning of Tuesday, August 23, 1955 at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Avilla, Indiana, just in time for Jim to open the store. They had two children, James William Koons, and Ann Marie Koons.
Later in life she received a Masters in Education from Saint Francis College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She served as head of the Home Economics Department at East Noble High School in Kendallville, Indiana for many years until her retirement after forty-three years as an educator.
Dorothy was a member of several organizations in the community, a daylily Master Gardener and a longtime volunteer of committees at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. In the summers she could be found in her garden growing and hybridizing her award-winning daylilies. She enjoyed taking the train to Chicago to visit her daughter, helping her son at his church, and traveling to several countries in her lifetime. She was an avid reader and enjoyed detective stories. Her many talents included all the areas she taught, some of which were cooking, quilting, interior design, and running an orderly home.
Survivors include her daughter Ann Koons, her sisters, Edith Brown, and Shirley Finney, her brother Bill (Jane) Finney, and sister-in-law Marjorie Finney. Nieces and nephew include Vada (Dave) Robinson, Tom (Jan Sears) Brown, Diane Moon, Erin Finney Myers, and Alyssa (Jason) Finney Chew.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband James L. Koons, son Fr. James W. Koons, brother Dale Finney, her parents, and infant sister Phyllis Jean Finney.
Due to the pandemic the services were held in private.
To leave a condolence or sign the online guestbook, visit www.harperfuneralhomes.com, or mail a card c/o the funeral home: P.O. Box 466, Avilla, IN 46710.
In lieu of flowers, please consider the following contributions:
A memorial mass in her honor. Donate to a favorite animal shelter. She loved all animals, including the numerous cats that found their way into her heart. Plant a tree, or donate to a botanical/nature conservatory in memory of Dorothy, who loved being outdoors in her daylily garden. If applicable, donate convalescent plasma to the American Red Cross. Lastly, wear a mask.