Delores Ann (Laffey) Lockridge, 88 years of age from Liberty, Missouri passed away at Wellington Senior Living from complications of a hip fracture on Sunday, May 21, 2023.
Delores was born June 29, 1934, on a farm southeast of Jamesport, Missouri to her parents Grover and Ella Sarah (James) Laffey. Delores went to country schools near her home during grade school. She went to Jamesport for her junior and senior high years and graduated in 1952. Following high school, she attended junior college in Trenton, Missouri for one year. She taught at country schools in Gibs and Farmersville, Missouri.
Delores went forward at a revival meeting at Lily Grove Church and accepted Christ as her Savior. She began attending the Methodist church with her friends.
She met Dale Lockridge in her sophomore year in high school, and they became sweethearts and began dating when they were in their junior year.
They were married in the Methodist church on June 26, 1955. Dale was a student at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and they began their marriage in an apartment in Ames. They attended Campus Baptist Church with friends. Delores worked as a secretary at ISU. Upon graduating from Iowa State, Dale and Delores accepted a job in Corydon, Iowa where Dale worked for the Soil Conservation Service as a soil scientist. They soon became charter members of Corydon Bible Church. They had three boys born in Corydon: Mark Alan, Jerry David, and Steven Dale.
Dale always wanted to farm, and they purchased 80 acres of land southeast of Corydon which began their farming dream that lasted 60 years. Delores and Dale moved to Fairfield to continue his Soil Survey career with the Soil Conservation Service. While there, they helped establish Faith Baptist Church and also became members of the Gideons for more than 50 years. Delores and Dale’s next move came in 1972 when Dale was transferred to Ames to work on campus at Iowa State in the Agronomy department. While spending 18 years there, all of the boys graduated from Ames High School and two graduated from Iowa State.
At Dale’s retirement from agronomy, they moved back to Corydon where their family continued to farm. The grandchildren enjoyed the farm life for thirty years. Delores and Dale traveled around the United States using their timeshares. They spent 13 winters at Bibleville in Alamo, Texas, working on projects, and Delores helped make quilts for missions work.
Delores is survived by her husband, Dale, and their 3 sons: Mark and his wife Sharon of Kearney, Missouri, Jerry and his wife Carla of Pella, Iowa, Steve and girls of Jamesport, Missouri, 10 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm at Northern Hills Baptist Church, 17211 NE 180th St, Holt, MO. Funeral services will be held immediately after the visitation and will begin at 2:30 pm at the church. Interment in Pilot Grove Cemetery #2, Route YY & Harbor Avenue in Jamesport.
