Dorothy Lou Denner

With hearts full of gratitude and love, we celebrate the vibrant life of our mother, Dorothy Lou Shekleton Denner, age 97 of New Hampton, who passed peacefully on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Accura Healthcare of New Hampton. She is now in heaven with her beloved husband Bud, her parents and siblings, and all those she loved so much who have gone before her. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 19, 2026, at Holy Family Parish in New Hampton with Rev. Chris Podhajsky celebrating the Mass. Interment will be held at St. Mary’s Cemetery, New Hampton, with Garrett Boeding, Brock Boeding, Ashley Boeding, James Cosgrove, Nicole Reed, and Jessica Klostermann serving as pallbearers.

Friends are invited to greet the family from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Thursday, June 18, 2026, at Holy Family Gathering Space on Broadway Street in New Hampton, where there will be a 7:00 p.m. parish scripture service. Visitation continues one hour before the Mass at the Gathering Space on Friday.

Dorothy Lou Shekleton was born at home in Jackson Township in Winneshiek County, Iowa, on October 24, 1928, the youngest child of William and Josephine (Heatherton) Shekleton. She began her education at the local country school.  After her family moved “to town” in Lawler, IA, she attended Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic School, then Lawler High School, from which she graduated in 1947.  She excelled in girls 3 on 3 basketball in high school, often attributing her success to being left-handed while opponents played to her right!  After graduation, she worked at the denim overall factory in New Hampton. On the weekends, she attended dances at area dance halls and ballrooms. It was at one of these dances that she met her lifelong partner in adventure, Gerald “Bud” Denner.  The couple married at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on November 10, 1948.  They moved to the family farm northwest of New Hampton, where they raised their family together.  Dorothy would live on her farmstead until May 2026. 

Dorothy became a farmer, preferring outdoor work to doing house chores.  She drove tractors, trucks, and tended to her much-loved chickens. She had a two-story chicken house and a single-story chicken coop.  Her chicken enterprise was a source of immense pride for her and a meaningful source of income for her family.  Dorothy handled all the bookkeeping for the farm and trucking businesses and actively participated in planning and implementation decisions.  She was the one who met with the bankers at a time when it was unheard of for a young woman to be so directly involved in business. 

Dorothy enjoyed many activities such as boating and skiing on the Mississippi River, dancing, attending and hosting parties, traveling, playing cards, sports, and visiting with family and friends.  She traveled extensively throughout the US, with a particular fondness for New Orleans.  She attended many NCAA Wrestling Tournaments across the US with an entourage of family members and usually managed to squeeze in a little shopping too! In later years, she joined the Red Hat Club and so enjoyed getting together with the ladies for lunch and having a good visit. She made the trip of a lifetime when she visited Ireland in her 80’s, where she kissed the Blarney Stone and drank a pint of Guinness after touring the Guinness Brewery.

Her interests included fashion, politics, and education.  Dorothy enjoyed dressing up and loved clothes shopping for her family as well as herself.  She kept up with the fashions of the day and was an expert bargain-finder. She made sure her family was always well-dressed for any occasion. Dorothy loved to wear hats and was known as “the hat lady”.  Dorothy was very active for many years in the Democratic Party and followed politics all her life. She was elected as a State Delegate and attended the Democratic State Convention in the 60’s. She studiously vetted local, state, and national candidates and enjoyed political discussions.  Education was very important to her, and she was very involved in her children’s education. Dorothy was instrumental in promoting public education reform to include classes for students who learn differently. She was proud when these classes were added to the curriculum at the public school. 

Dorothy was devoted to and defined by her Catholic faith.  Even while traveling, she was determined to attend Mass.  A most cherished memory was her attendance at the outdoor Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II on October 4, 1979, at Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa.  As a member of St. Mary’s Rosary Society, she was most proud of starting the school lunch program at St. Mary’s school with dear friend Ellie Hill.  Prayer was part of her daily life.  She said she often passed the time on the tractor in the fields by praying and encouraged her children to do the same. She became a member of Holy Family Catholic Church when the parishes of St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s were combined. She was also a member of the Catholic Daughters of America.

The Farm Crisis of the 80’s brought an end to her farming career.  Dorothy, however, was an unafraid woman.  Armed with her positive attitude, she reinvented herself many times over, working as a census taker, home healthcare aide, fast food worker, bookkeeper at St. John’s School of Religion, and as a courier for banks located in Northeast Iowa.  Then she became a grandmother, a role she thoroughly enjoyed. Dorothy often brought the grandkids along on fishing trips, to go shopping, or just hang around the house.  Any time spent with them was special to her.  She watched them as they grew up, changing from kids involved in sports, music, and school to adults finding their own way in the world, and she enjoyed the view as a grandmother!  Her grandchildren have blessed her with eight great-grandchildren, one on the way, and one great-great-grandchild. 

Her pride and joy were always her family. She adored her parents and siblings, lovingly looking up to them in the way that only the baby of the family can.  She loved her husband, Bud, and the life they built together.  She was a proud and loving mother who supported her children in the good times and bad, but was wise enough to provide a reality check when she felt it was needed.  She was a proud and loving grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother. She loved her in-laws, nieces, and nephews.  She had plenty of love to give, and she did exactly that throughout her life.  

She is survived by her children Bob (Roxanne) Denner of Oskaloosa, Barbi Cosgrove of Indianola, Richard (Lori Hosier) Denner of New Hampton, Dee (Lynn) Boeding of New Hampton, and Lori (John) Klostermann of Ottumwa and her grandchildren Angie (Rick) Silliman, Chad Norris, Jamie (Sydney Mahoney) Cosgrove, Garrett (Whitney) Boeding, Ashley Boeding, Brock (Megan) Boeding, Nicole (Montana) Reed, and Jessica Klostermann; great-grandchildren Kylee (Devin) Fisher, Gavin Norris, Silas, and Lachlyn Boeding, Kaia, Annabelle, and Molly Boeding, and Finley Reed, and great-great-grandchild Graham Fisher; her in-laws Marion Frohn, Elaine Denner, and Bonnie and Lynn Hassman.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald “Bud” Denner, her parents William and Josephine (Heatherton) Shekleton, siblings Anna (Eddie) Wicks, Glenn (Harriet Olson) Shekleton, Lorraine (Jerry Kennelly), John (Dorothy Hove) Shekleton, Madona (Clem) Laures, and Raymond Shekleton, Bud’s parents Joe and Lillian Denner and in-laws John and Marcella Swestka, LaVerne Denner, Josephine and Stan Dostal, DeLores Rodamaker Picker and Lynn Rodamaker, Ernie Picker, Jim and Betty Denner, Jack Friel, Bob Frohn, and Chuck Denner. 

The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at Mercy One Hospital and Accura HealthCare in New Hampton for taking such great care of our mother.