Dorothee Marie Burrmann was born on November 27, 1916 in Davenport, Iowa to William C. Burrmann, born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and Chicago-born Edmunde Hermine Ravené, also of German descent. Dorothee was the younger of two daughters. When Dorothee and her sister Gertrude were still children, the family moved to Wabasso, Florida (near Vero Beach) where her father worked as a bookkeeper for a citrus packing company. William was also an accomplished violinist. Gertrude later married, but tragically lost her life and that of her second child while giving birth in Vero Beach.
Dorothee was married to Dale Vernon Flippo, who died in 2000. She is survived by her two children, daughter Julie Bacon of Minden, Nevada, and son Hyde Flippo of Reno; her two grandsons, Erik Dale Flippo of Reno and Kirk Adler Flippo of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and four great-grandchildren.
Dorothee went from Florida to Fredericksburg, Virginia, where she had relatives, to attend Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington). In Virginia she met Dale, and they were married in Fredericksburg on December 22, 1938. Dale had already accepted a job as chief clerk and safety officer at a mine run by Desert Silver Inc. at Nivloc and Silver Peak, Nevada. The newlyweds resided at Silver Peak for four years before moving to Roswell, New Mexico, where Dale began his 35-year career with State Farm Insurance, and their son Hyde was born. The couple later lived in Salem, Oregon (where Julie was born), and then in Albany, California. In 1950 the family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where Dale served as State Farm’s district manager for the Carolinas, and Dorothee attended Queens University.
After a decade in Charlotte, Dale was offered several location options by State Farm, and the couple chose to return to Nevada. In December 1960 the family arrived in Reno, where Dale was a local insurance agent until his retirement in 1978. Dorothee earned her degree at the University of Nevada Reno, where she was Phi Kappa Phi. She taught English for a total of 12 years at Traner, Vaughn, and O’Brien middle schools before she retired in 1977. Dorothee and Dale were longtime members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada.
During their early retired years, the couple moved to Carson City. For many years they had a motorhome for travel to warmer climes in the winter. They later became “snow birds” in Yuma, Arizona, where they also maintained a home. They enjoyed domestic and international travel, as well as hosting their children and grandchildren in Yuma every spring vacation. When travel became more difficult, Dorothee and Dale bought a home in Sparks, where they lived together until Dale’s death. Even in retirement, Dorothee volunteered at local schools to tutor and support students.
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