Dorothy “Dort” Rae Northrup, 76, passed away in Fort Collins, CO on November 21, 2021, after battling a short illness. She was born March 1, 1945, in Talmage, NE, to Rev. Siegfried and Josephine Haferman. She was the youngest of four children.
The family moved in 1948 to Elkhorn, NE, then to Fort Collins, CO, in 1953, where she attended elementary and junior high school. They moved to Superior, NE, in 1958, where she started high school. After her father passed in 1962, she and her mother moved to Rich Hill, MO, where she graduated from high school. She attended college at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, earning her Masters in Art Education. She taught art for 28 years at Odessa High School, in Odessa, MO, and under her tutelage, many of her students went on to become prolific artists and art educators. After retiring in 1996, she moved to Fort Collins, CO, and lived there until she passed.
She was an accomplished artist, serving a stint as a courtroom sketch artist in Kansas City, and winning numerous awards while in Missouri, including being an Odessa-V11 Public Foundation Hall of Fame Inductee. After retirement, she continued teaching art to adults in her home studio.
She loved spending summers at her mountain home in Gould, CO, where she spent her time photographing nature and wildlife, specifically moose, which were her favorite, then turning them into beautiful works of art. She graciously hosted many friends and family members, who she took on her favorite hikes, picking wild strawberries, and looking for Columbine.
She was an active member of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church for 27 years, and sang in the choir.
She is survived by her older brother Bob Haferman (Cleone); and seven nieces and nephews, Mark Saeger (Jamie), Deanne Boehmer (Mark), Valerie Connor (Scott), Jon Haferman (Debbie), Debra Haferman, Dan Haferman (Kelly), and Lynn Valentine.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her older sister, Betty Saeger and her husband, Dean; and her older brother, Leonard Haferman and his wife Janet.
The memorial service celebrating Dorothy’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, November 30 at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 1200 South Taft Hill Rd, Fort Collins.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be given to Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church.
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