Dolores Mae Witherbee

Dolores Mae Witherbee, 93, died on Friday, July 16, 2021 at Brookestone Village Nursing Home in Omaha, Nebraska.

Dolores joins her beloved husband, John Witherbee; her parents, Cleo and Hettie Durnell; her daughter, Lauri Martin; and her beloved pets in heaven. She is survived by her two children, Mark (Sandi) Witherbee and Lisa (Amy Richardson) Witherbee; her grandchildren, Adam Martin, Breanne Dunn, Mollie (Clint) Eckhardt, and Abbie Witherbee; great grandchildren, Kenzlie, Sadie and Maezlyn.

Dolores was born on May 30, 1928 to Cleo and Hettie Durnell and was their only child. She was one of the first pupils at the little four-room school of Mt. Calvary Lutheran and graduated high school at Benson High. She went on to major in music at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and was a member of Gamma Sigma Omicron sorority. Dolores went on to follow in her mother’s footsteps and became a legal secretary with the Municipal Bond Underwriters until her retirement.

Dolores’ mother realized the importance of music and purchased a baby grand piano which Dolores started playing at a very young age. By her early teens she was getting driven to various venues to volunteer her piano skills to churches and “way out in the country”…the Nebraska Veterans Home. She also gave piano lessons to students “in her spare time”. She continued playing the piano for over 70 years.

On April 22, 1955, she married the love of her life, John Witherbee in Omaha, Nebraska. They enjoyed 51 years of marriage until the Lord took him home in 2006. They traveled the United States by train, plane and automobile, and took one of their favorite trips to Canada to watch the whales. They were members of the German-American Club and could be found many Saturday nights ballroom dancing.

Dolores was a devout Christian and loved her Lord Jesus Christ. She will be deeply missed by her friends, family and all who knew her.