Norah Grace Dooley Korn

Norah Grace Dooley Korn was born to Alma Lucile Wintz and John Loran Dooley on Dec. 14, 1932, in Creede, Colo., and passed away Nov. 17, 2021, at her home in Kalispell, Mont.

So here was an extremely friendly Irish lass full of energy, vitality, humor and a bit of rascality within what might be termed a hard-working mining and ranching culture. Her presence while growing up was so notable to the residents that years later when she married at the Creed Community Church in 1958 literally the whole town showed up to celebrate her wedding and especially her reception. They all remembered and wanted once again to be involved in the fun and action of this special, exuberant youth.

Even those still living today often remember and smile as both the Wintz and Dooley families are still very much a part of the community.

Norah's father died when she was age 2 so she and her two older brothers, Gene and Floyd, all grew up helping their mother do the chores to support the family. They helped raise and butcher chickens and rabbits, take the milk cow back and forth to pasture, process milk and butter for sale, haul water by the barrel in a one-horse cart from the community well to their $15 home up the hill, and cut and split wood and haul coal for heat.

Any avenue of work was acceptable and necessary like hiring out to work on a local dude ranch or recreation business or help in maintenance and cleaning the vacation homes of the affluent Denver mining crowd. Waitressing to the hunting and fishing crowd at the small hotel restaurant for good tips was also a big part of life as she grew older.

After high school, she and several girl friends (Husselkus, Swinehart, etc.) ventured to Denver. Norah began employment as a nanny and household servant to several well-established Denver businessman's families and began employment as a switchboard operator at the telephone company with her eyes always riveted to the "job of a lifetime" as a stewardess for United Airlines. She easily passed the requirements but only by relaxing her knees to get under the maximum height allowed.

A few years later, she transferred from San Francisco to Seattle on a whim to explore horizons and one day was assigned to work a red-eye flight from Seattle to Chicago and met and later married a passenger on that night flight. That's another story.

After several years in Seattle, Norah with Jim moved back to his former home in Montana to live and raise their family in a small mountain town rather than a big metropolitan city. Her Irish spunk fit right in as she raised her four children and gave every room in the house her special touch. She encouraged all activity and joined in to the delight of her children. Everyone sought her fun-loving and uplifting personality.

As time moved on, she used her natural talent in visual ability and color sense to paint a great quantity of artwork in floral paintings, landscapes, and many tole painted household objects all leaving a cherished legacy to her family.

She leaves behind in this life her husband of more than 63 years, James H. Korn, four children and spouses, Kevin James Korn, Jeffrey John Korn, and twin daughters, Kristy Ann Wolf, and Kerry Kathleen Douge, the memories of nine grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and many fond nieces and nephews to take on, within the providence of God, what her life in Christ promises.

Services were held Dec. 2, 2021, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Kalispell, Mont., followed by interment at C. E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery and a Family Reception to honor her remembrance.