Dorothy Luverne Urness (Skow)

Urness, Dorothy Luverne (Skow). Dorothy died peacefully at her home in Sky Valley, Georgia, on 14 March 2011. She was just ten days from being 95 years old. Dorothy suffered a stroke on 6 March, but before that time she had enjoyed her new life in Georgia with her daughter Barbara and son-in-law Jim Kobacker. Dorothy moved to Georgia in September, 2010 after living for fifty years in the family apartment building at 616 Magnolia Avenue in Long Beach, California. Born on a farm in Emmetsburg, Iowa, on 24 March 1916, Dorothy was the first child of William and Mabel (Bondhus) Skow. Bill Skow and his brother Sam started an automobile agency in Lamberton, Minnesota, where Dorothy grew up and graduated from high school. After a year of training in nursing at Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in Minneapolis, she married her high school sweetheart, Carl Urness. The couple settled near Los Angeles, California, to try their fortune along with the many others who moved there during the Depression. Carl and Dorothy had two children in California, Carol Louise and Barbara Ann, before they returned to Lamberton, where Carl was a carpenter and Dorothy became a skilled dental assistant. She followed the same profession when she moved to California, working for Dr. Julius Molina. Dorothy is preceded in death by her husbands Carl Urness and Robert (Bob) Knedler, her siblings, Geraldine (Geri) Woodbury, Betty Lou (Pat) Swap, and William, Jr. (Chiefy). In addition to her daughters, Dorothy is survived by Barbara's children Carolyn (Jim) Moore, Connie Talaber, and James (Tessa) Brough, and her great granddaughter Ann Marie Norris. She leaves behind other relatives and good friends, including Natty Ledesma, Marion Kuehl Robbins, and Tom Raye. Dorothy loved her family and friends, good conversation and food, to dance, sing, and play the piano. She painted pictures and was an expert knitter; she enjoyed travel and new experiences. She often said, "Nobody should feel sorry for me when I am gone. I have had a good life."

A memorial service will be held in the chapel in Sky Valley, Georgia, in the near future. Memorials to any hospice service are preferred. Cards should be sent to Barbara Kobacker, 407 Pleasant Mountain Drive, #390, Sky Valley, GA 30537. Thank you.
Beck Funeral Home, in Clayton, Georgia, is in charge of the arrangements. If there are any questions, please call 706-782-9599. An online Memorial Register Book is available at www.beckfuneralhome.com.