Dorothy Mae Marshall

Dorothy Mae Marshall was born in Muscoda, Wisconsin on August 5, 1929, to Frank and Barbara Kratcha. One of five children, she spent her childhood working on the family farm and was taught by the very influential sisters at St. John’s Catholic School. Encouraged by the sisters, she attended nursing school at Misericordia Hospital in Milwaukee. After graduation, Dorothy and her best friend decided it was time to see the world. They joined the Army Nurse Corps, and the adventures began. A scratch golfer, she loved to play the courses near wherever she was stationed and was once paired in a tournament with one of her heroes, Olympian and golfer Babe Didrikson Zaharias. As an army nurse, she also had the honor of taking care of another of her heroes, General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Between tours of duty, Dorothy attained her nursing degree from Catholic University where she had the pleasure of being taught by another of her heroes, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. His influence remained with her throughout her life, and she continued to read his books daily. In 1960, she met and married Frank, the love of her life, while stationed at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. Married for 45 wonderful years until his death in 2006, they shared a great devotion to their family, faith and friends. Dorothy had many heroes, but she was our hero. In 1970, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) after being symptomatic for more than ten years. Always positive, she credited her MS with allowing her to meet such wonderful friends in her swimming class, which she attended three days a week for more than 25 years. Her favorite part was leading a song at the end of every class. Living with such grace, beauty and dignity with MS for more than 50 years, she is considered a true MS survivor. Dorothy's greatest joy in life came from her family. She rarely missed a sporting event, and was an avid fan of the Rangers, Mavericks, Cowboys, and all her grandchildren’s teams. She was preceded in death by her husband Frank, her parents and her brothers, Ralph and Bernard Kratcha. She is survived and will be greatly missed by her sisters Mildred Esser and Mary Lou Urbach; her sister-in-law Helen Kota; her daughter Joan; son Frank and wife Lisa; daughter Barbara and husband Maurice Ellison; grandchildren Gabriel, Luke, and Julian Gomez; Zachary, Cooper and Joshua Marshall; Reece, Marshall, Hudson, and Cora Mae Ellison; Maria Mireles; and numerous nieces, nephews and dear friends. The Rosary is Sunday, January 19, 2014, at 6:00 pm. Funeral mass on Monday, January 20, 2014, at 10:00 am. Both services are at Christ the King Catholic Church with Rev. Msgr. Donald F. Zimmerman officiating. Interment following at Calvary Hill. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Grace After Fire, P.O. Box 185804, Fort Worth, Texas 76181-0804, 1 (800) 362-6477, http://www.graceafterfire.org