Dorothy Helen Meeker, age 85, a resident of Laredo, Missouri, passed away Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at Wright Memorial Hospital, Trenton, Missouri.
Dorothy was born the daughter of William Thomas and Ruby (Phillips) Thomas on October 12, 1937, on a farm in rural Chula, Missouri. Dorothy graduated high school from Chillicothe High School in 1955. She was united in marriage to William “Bill” Meeker on January 8, 1956, at the Alpha Baptist Church in Laredo, Missouri.
Dorothy and Bill ran the Laredo Hy-Klas grocery store for many years. She was also the dispatcher for the Laredo Fire Department. She would know when a fire call would come in because she had a different ring on the telephone. Keeping cold water for the firemen and cooking them breakfast for overnight calls kept her in the hearts of many. She was a past member of the Wright Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Board and also a past member of the Murphy Scholarship Committee.
Survivors include her husband, Bill, of the home; her son, Kenneth Ray Meeker, and wife, Karen, of Laredo, Missouri; five grandchildren; Nevin Smith of Trenton, Missouri, Jennifer Courtney, Laredo, Missouri, Jason Meeker and wife, Kimberly, of Laredo, Missouri, Eric Meeker of
Galt, Missouri and Kelci Parsons and husband, Brandon, of Cainsville, Missouri; five great-grandchildren; five sisters, Velma Anderson of Chillicothe, Missouri, Peggy Gardner of Meadville, Missouri, Jean Constant of Chillicothe, Missouri, Barbara Duemey and husband, Dal, of Chillicothe, Missouri, and Carol Ann Horton of Chillicothe, Missouri; and one brother, Ed Thomas, and wife, Barb, of Chillicothe, Missouri; a sister-in-law, Judy Thomas of Chula, Missouri; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; one daughter, Mary Lynn Smith; one brother, Ray Thomas; a grandson, Scott Meeker; two great-grandchildren Parsons; and four brothers-in-law, Charles Anderson, Dale Gardner, Joe Constant, and Jim Horton.
Funeral services will be held at the Rural Dale Baptist Church, Trenton, Missouri, Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. A scheduled visitation will be held at the Rural Dale Baptist Church, Trenton, Missouri, Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 11:00 a.m., two hours before service time. Burial will follow at Alpha Cemetery, Laredo, Missouri. Memorial contributions may be made to the Laredo Fire Department and/or Alpha Baptist Church and may be left at or mailed to Lindley Funeral Home, PO Box 47, Chillicothe, Missouri.
