Dorothea Jean Daley

Dorothea Jean Iverna (Schunck) Jones Daley was born October 26,1926 in St Clair, Michigan, and was the daughter of Iva Douglass Schunck and Edward Schunck. Dorothea died on October 1, 2025, just twenty-five days short of 99 years, at her home in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. She grew up living on the family farm in the St. Clair area. She married Neil Charles Jones on June 30, 1946. They lived upstairs in the farm home with their firstborn son, Bruce Neil Jones, born in 1947. Their daughter, Sunshine Jones, was born four years later. In 1952, they moved to Marysville, Michigan.

A subsequent move was made to Royal Oak, Michigan, where Dorothea and Neil helped found a Community of Christ congregation. Their third child, Paul Howard Jones. was born in 1954. Later the family moved to Lansing, Michigan, where a fourth child, Douglass Kennedy Jones, was born.

In high school Dorothea was Valedictorian of her class. After high school, Dorothea went to Secretarial School and later to Cosmetology School. She worked as a Cosmetologist for many years, including ten years as a teacher in an inter-district high school vocational program. During this time, she was involved in Cosmetology State competitions.

Her first husband, Neil Jones and she cherished their children and family life, shared a deep spiritual faith and were active members of The Community of Christ, offering ministry to many. They shared a love of Nature, and the family enjoyed camping together. Neil passed at age 53, while the two were square dancing. They were married for thirty-one years.

Two years later, Dorothea married Elwood (Al) Daley of St. Johns, Michigan. They were married for 11 years until his death of obstructive pulmonary disease. They lived in St. Johns, Michigan and wintered in Mesa, AZ after she retired from teaching. Al operated a popular restaurant in St. Johns and was famous for his home-made pies and generous heart.

In 1995, Dorothea married Donald J. Dexter, a close family and church friend who had lost his first wife to cancer. Dorothea and Don were both actively involved in Community of Christ church activities and interfaith and civic groups, always widening their circles of care. Both were ordained ministers in their faith. During their thirty-year marriage, they lived in Mesa, Arizona; Elk Rapids, Michigan; and Fitchburg, Wisconsin. Don did a wonderful job of caring for Dorothea in her last weeks of life.

Family and friends share that Dorothea was an attentive listener with her curious mind and understanding heart. She enjoyed helping people, ministering to their spiritual needs and cared for people from many backgrounds and walks of life. A nature lover, she delighted in bird watching and was an avid hiker up until her later years. Dorothea carried a song in her heart from her youngest years and treasured being part of many different choruses throughout her life, even in her last days singing hymns with her family. She loved to travel and had the opportunity to see much of the world, including all the continental United States, including Alaska, South America, Europe, Africa, and New Zealand.

Dorothea is preceded in death by her two brothers, Howard Schunck (who died in infancy) and her oldest brother Eldon Schunck and also by a grandson, Donald Paul Jones, and a nephew, Sherwood Schunck. Also preceding her in death are her first and second husbands, Neil C. Jones and Al Daley. She is survived by her husband, Donald J. Dexter, by her four children and their spouses, 15 grandchildren, numerous step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren.

The cornerstone of Dorothea’s life was her faith in a loving God and her hope for a World of Peace and Love. In her own words a week before her death, she related to her family that she lived a wonderful life. Memories of her will sustain her family and friends in their loss.

Dorothea Daley’s Celebration of Life will be October 26, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at the Chapel in Hillside Cemetery in St Clair, Michigan.

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