Dorothy Marie Koehring nee Schoeneman (Dotty), passed from this world after a brief illness on Sunday, May 21, 2017. After spending most of her life in Indianapolis, IN., she had recently moved near her daughter Cheryl, son-in-law Lieb, grandson Lucas, and brother-in-law Myron in Unionville, IN. She was 95 years old.
Dorothy was born on March 23,1922 in Indianapolis, of Margaret Koldyke Schoeneman and August Schoeneman. She had an older sister, Evelyn, whom she loved very much. They remained close and very supportive of each other.
Dorothy might have been petite, blonde and delicate-looking, but her appearance belied a strong and fun-loving character. She enjoyed sports and would help her parents on the farm they owned. Her father grew corn and rhubarb, among other crops, and rhubarb pie remained a favorite of hers, along with fudge, which she relished. She loved the Dutch dishes her mother prepared: Marzipan “letters” for Christmas were her favorite. She was sweet and liked sweet treats.
She could also be tough, shrugging at the memory of a boy at school who swung a baseball bat wildly as she was walking close by and broke her nose. All her early childhood memories were contained in a small wooden box: charred remnants of a doll, several game pieces that somehow survived a horrendous event. One awful night when Dorothy was only 10 years old, a fire broke out in the night and her father saved the girls by climbingon a ladder, risking his own life. The family lost everything they had. The very next day, Dorothy was at Albert Walsman school, her cousin’s clothes hanging on her slim frame. Her uncle John and his wife Madella, also their neighbors, took them in for a while. Life would go on.
Besides being part of a close-knit family, Dorothy had many friends. It is said that having one true friend is rare and maintaining such a friendship is a source of great happiness. Dorothy had several such good friends: Melba, Dorothy, Helen, Thelma, and Marilyn.
Growing up in a musical family, she was passionate about singing, acting and dancing in musicals. She had a beautiful voice and was a member of the Sweet Adelines “Sound of Indy” for years. She was always in touch with the world of entertainment.
Dorothy met her husband Alfred while carpooling to work. They were married on February25,1950, in Indianapolis. They had 2 children: Alan Lynn and Cheryl Ann. Dorothy was very active in her children’s upbringing, encouraging them to practice sports, to play music and taking much pride in their achievements. She kept working part-time as a secretary and had an active social life. Life was good, with family vacations and road trips in the summer, baseball events and dance recitals, family gatherings complete with softball games for everyone, adults and children. She loved going to fundraisers for fish-fry dinners.
Once a year, she would travel abroad with her husband while the children stayed with their grandparents.
She was always elegant and favored cheerful colors like orchid, turquoise, red and fuchsia, along with clean whites and beiges. She was truly a lady, but she would never take herself too seriously: her sense of humor would shine unexpectedly, almost child-like at times, and very refreshing. She could be the life of a party.
Dorothy was generous with her time and affection. She was interested in her children’s education, even in college, and would sometimes lend a hand, especially when typing was involved. She would often feed stray dogs and squirrels and would delight in seeing how healthy they were growing. She was one of the first to adopt positive thinking as a lifestyle. She was resilient and compassionate. She could see the good in anyone, no matter what their problems were, and wouldn’t judge. She was a volunteer at St. Francis Hospital for over 3 decades and was very active at church.
Dorothy was the best mother-in-law anyone could have. She gave her complete love and acceptance to the new members of the family and she doted on all her grandchildren: Heather, Lucas, and later, Dorian. She was so proud of them all. She became a great- grandmother to Reese and Mason, Heather and Jason Morgan’s children.
Our dear Dorothy is survived by her two children: Alan Koehring and his wife Sabina in San Diego, CA, Cheryl Lieberman and her husband Walter (Lieb) in Unionville IN, her grandchildren Heather Morgan and husband Jason (Carmel), Lucas Lieberman (Unionville), Dorian Koehring (San Diego, CA) and great-grandchildren Reese and Mason Morgan, (Carmel)
A celebration of life will be held in the summer. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to New Bethel Baptist Church, 8936 Southeastern Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46239.

- She was artistic, strong and a free spirit. -

“No coming, no going, no before, no after
I hold you close to me, I release you
to be so free
Because you are in me, and I am in you”

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