Date of Committal Service: May 15, 2008

A graveside memorial service for Dorcas Jane Schoppe, former Jefferson resident, will be held 1:30pm Thursday May 15, 2008 at the Jefferson Cemetery, Jefferson, Iowa.   Surviving is her sister, Constance Schoppe of Saint Paul, Minnesota, who writes:  

“My dear sister, Dorcas Jane Schoppe, who died May 24, 2007 in Walnut Creek, California, was the eldest daughter born to Paul and Nora Schoppe in Jefferson, Iowa.  She is survived by her sister Constance Schoppe of Saint Paul, Minnesota.  Dorcas Jane is also survived by cousins, William E. Schoppe, San Antonio, Texas, Clarence and James Schoppe, Portland Oregon, and Charles Sargent, Modesto California.  She also leaves behind many friends throughout the United States and England.

Dorcas Jane graduated from Jefferson High School, Jefferson, Iowa, and upon graduation was selected by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) as the most outstanding high school girl graduate in Iowa.  She was awarded a trip to Washington, D.C., along with one girl from each of the other states.  She graduated with honors from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, with a BS degree in Home Economics and later earned an MS degree from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, where she majored in Economics and Household Economics.

Her professional career took her to the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, where she was a professor in the Department of Home Economics.  She retired after twenty three years as a professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Science at the University of California at Berkeley and Davis, California.

Dorcas Jane was a member of the United Methodist Church in Jefferson, Iowa and attended the Unitarian Church in Walnut Creek, California.  She was a member of the Omicron Nu Home Economics honor society, Pi Beta Phi sorority and “Book Ends”, a book club where she greatly enjoyed the other members and book reviews at Rossmore, a retirement community in Walnut Creek where she lived.  She treasured friendships among her neighbors and friends at Rossmore and she never forgot her longtime friends.

An avid student in various subjects, she read countless books on many subjects.  She loved literature and the arts, her rose garden, trips to England and the San Francisco Giants. 

Dorcas Jane exemplified compassion and concern for people in need and for the oppressed.  She cared deeply about suffering and injustices.  Her unfailing sense of goodness and fairness were reflected in her involvement with the political process and in organizations dedicated to making life better for all people.

She was always an encourager and helper to me all of my life.  I miss her more than words can say.  It makes me sad to realize there will be no more hearty laughs coming from or going to Walnut Creek.  She is dearly loved and missed.”

From her sister, Constance

Additionally, a service of Celebration and Remembrance honoring Dorcas Jane Schoppe was held November 3, 2007 at Messiah Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.