Dorothy Clarke Rich of Englewood, FL, passed away peacefully with family at her side on July 19, 2011 at the Port Charlotte Hospice House. Born February 24, 1932 in Abingdon, IL, to J.H. Orville Clarke and Ruth Murk Clark, she was raised in Galesburg, IL, and near Lake Bracken, IL. Dorothy was a graduate of Galesburg High School (1950) and received her RN degree at Methodist Hospital of Central Illinois (Peoria, 1953). She was united in marriage in 1954 to Ralph J. Rich in Galesburg, IL.
Dorothy began her career as a nurse in Peoria, IL and later moved to the Marshalltown, Iowa area where she and Ralph raised their family. She was a member of the United Methodist Church, served on the library board from 1967-1990, was president of the YMCA swim team for several years, was a bird watcher and an avid bridge player. They retired to Florida in 1994. She is survived by 5 daughters Valerie(David) DeVolder, Stephanie (David) Robinson, Gretchen (Tom) Taylor, Caroline (Jim) Hildreth and Allison (Joe) Darvis, six grand-children, three aunts, five nieces and one nephew. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and brother, Richard Clarke.
