Dorothy Kendig

Dorothy Kendig, 95, of Glenville, West Virginia, passed away peacefully on September 27, 2021, at Minnie Hamilton Hospital Long Term Care Unit in Grantsville, West Virginia.

Dorothy (Dotty) was born to Clayton H. and Alice H. (Stehman) Shenk on April 1, 1926, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and was raised in New Danville, PA.  After completing ninth grade, Dotty received permission to attend college at the age of 15.  She attended Lancaster Bible College where she would meet her future husband, J. Richard Kendig. While attending college, she learned about practical nurses training and in 1946, she left for New York City to take the Salvation Army School of Nursing course.  She took her LPN boards in 1947.

Dotty married J. Richard Kendig on October 19, 1947, at Central Manor Church of God in Washington Boro, PA. Both she and Richard shared a desire for mission work.  After the birth of their first daughter Mary Ann in 1948, they began applying to mission boards.  After their second daughter, Marjorie was born in 1950, Dotty and Richard were accepted by the South American Indian Mission.  In 1951, Dotty and her family left for Lima, Peru.  In 1953, David was born in Lima.  Dotty and her family served as missionaries in the Amazon jungle of Peru for 15 years.  Her experiences in Peru led to many wonderful stories and memories that she often would share with her family and friends.

After returning to the States in 1966, Dotty and her family lived in Millersville, PA. There, she worked at Millersville State College. In 1975, they found land in West Virginia, and it was there that she and her husband brought an old farm back to life by becoming successful sheep farmers.  Dotty became known to many by selling butter and eggs to their neighbors.  She also spent a lot of time with her husband traveling around locally as he played music. In 1991, her husband of 44 years passed away on the farm.

In 1992, Dotty began volunteering to teach Spanish at Flatwoods Elementary in Braxton County, West Virginia. This soon led to a part time paid position through the Central West Virginia Aging Services to teach Spanish in grades kindergarten through fourth.  Dotty’s love of teaching Spanish led her to explore her more formal education so that she could obtain a teaching certificate.  With her previous college credit, she earned a Regent Bachelor’s Degree from West Virginia State College in 2003 at the age of 77.  She drove 100 miles each way, two nights a week after work to complete this degree, of which she was very proud.

Dotty would go on to teach Spanish in Gilmer County under a new program developed by Glenville State College. She taught four days a week in the elementary schools for two years.  After her vision began to fail, she stopped teaching and was a foster grandparent to kindergarten students in Glenville Elementary.  Dotty retired from working at the age of 86.

After retiring, Dotty didn’t slow down.  In 2015, Dotty wrote her first book about her life and experiences in Peru.  She wrote and published a second book in 2018. Throughout her life Dotty enjoyed listening to NPR radio, reading, gardening, and spending time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Dotty was preceded in death by her husband, J. Richard Kendig, her parents, Clayton and Alice Shenk, her siblings, Edna, Earl Raymond, Paul, Edgar, Robert, and Elsie and son-in-law, Terry Risley.

She is survived by her three children, Mary Ann Risley (special friend John Janzen), Glenville,WV,  Marjorie Colbert (Daniel), Glenville, WV and David Kendig (Sheba), Burnsville, WV; grandchildren Doug Gantz (Jill), Joni Barwick (John), Justin Colbert (Courtney), Christopher Colbert (special friend Tamara Lapman), Adam Kendig (Amber) and Ashley Beck (Josh); great-grandchildren Tyler Gantz, Lindsey Gantz, Ryan James, Michael James, Sean Colbert, Connor Colbert, Mason Kendig, Zachary Kendig and Jackson Beck.

The family would like to recognize and thank the wonderful staff, nurses and doctors at Minnie Hamilton Hospital Long Term Care Unit for the care and love they gave to Dotty for the past three years.

The family held a private graveside service on Thursday, September 30^th at their family cemetery on Dotty’s farm, per her wishes. A memorial service celebrating Dotty’s life will be held on Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 11AM at the family farm in Glenville, West Virginia.

Ellyson Mortuary, Inc., & Cremation Services is honored to have assisted the family of Dorothy “Dotty” Kendig with arrangements.