Hello, thank-you, good-bye...

On a bright afternoon in September of 2009, friends and family gathered together in Washington Park to celebrate the long and fascinating life of Dorothy Steidley. She started the year weak physically, but still fighting hard to keep going. She enjoyed the people from hospice who came to see her and liked watching her game shows. On August 15th, her body finally gave up and her life ended. A memorial picnic was held to honor her life and there was an unusual visitor at the picnic. A bird flew purposefully into the center of the gathering and caught the attention of many who were there. It was almost as if it were sent to say ... hello, thank-you, good-bye ...

A SINGULAR CELEBRATION RECALLING THE NINETY YEARS OF DOROTHY ALTA HOUSE STEIDLEY

On January 31, 1918, a tiny baby girl entered this world. She found herself in a family with the last name of HOUSE. Hmm! A person who's a house!? She also found that she had landed smack in that land of another girl named Dorothy...but our Dorothy had no puppy named Toto!

As she peered around her she saw her parents...Lydia and Emery. Then, as she looked further, she saw one brother, then another, and another...and another!! Good grief!! What have I done?? Her brothers peered back at this strange creature...A GIRL!! Loyd, Paul, Richard and Wilbur soon found that she could be quite charming and funny. They all agreed that the family should keep her.

When Dorothy was 10 months old her adventurous family moved to Colorado. This is where Dorothy would spend most of her life. She gained another brother after the move to Colorado. Little brother Jim did not fulfill Dorothy's wish for a sister, but he was pretty funny to watch when he was little...and it gave Dorothy someone she could boss around.

Dorothy attended Whittier Elementary school on W. Kiowa, in Colorado Springs. Walking to school afforded her an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the area and to think deep thoughts. Dorothy really liked to think quietly to herself. She was recognized for her outstanding artistic ability and liked the benefits of that. She always enjoyed expressing herself through art.

After graduating from high school, Dorothy's parents and brother, Jim, moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. The move was necessary because her father was becoming more and more debilitated by his asthma and so the family sought a better climate for him.

While in New Mexico, Dorothy met a young man. He made her laugh! Dorothy was still the quiet thinker she had always been, so the ability that Howard Steidley had to draw her out, and involve her in fun, was most attractive. Of course, Howard wasn't so bad looking himself. They got married and soon welcomed their first child in 1940. Dorothy enjoyed her new daughter, Carolyn, and spent happy hours exploring Carolyn's new world with her.


In 1944, Carolyn's baby sister, Alta, arrived. Now, Dorothy was really busy! Some of her favorite motherly activities involved sewing adorable clothing for her daughters, perming their hair with those new home permanents, taking them to feed the ducks, going on excursions to downtown Denver and choosing a special doll for each of them at Christmastime.

In time, Dorothy welcomed grandchildren David Zundel, and his sister and brother, Tami and Michael. Rounding out Dorothy's progeny are Scott (Nancy), Keith (Keri) and Kevin (Roseanna) Monk...and the offspring of Scott (Josh and David) and Keith (Keli.)

Dorothy's love of art drove her to study with well-known artists every chance she got. She pursued some of the popular arts and crafts of the day, but focused mainly upon oil and watercolor painting. After both daughters had been recruited to haul large paintings around for a few years, Alta requested that Dorothy take up something lighter...like styrofoam sculpture. Dorothy honored her request by becoming a very productive potter! Dorothy's social life mostly centered upon like-minded artists, neighborhood friends and the members of her church. She was an early member of the Colorado Watercolor Society and the Colorado Potter's Guild.

Travel had always been a dream of Dorothy's and she basked in the experiences of visiting such far-flung places as Italy, England, Greece, Mexico, Japan...and more. She always wanted to experience varied art cultures, visit foreign artists and see their work. Her 80th birthday was celebrated with a Caribbean cruise.

To view a slideshow of Dorothy's artwork, you can click here. Or see more photos from her fascinating life in a slideshow click here.

After spending most of her life in Denver, Dorothy moved to Glade Park, Colorado. Drinking in the beauty of the area has fed the artist in Dorothy.

Since Dorothy was hospitalized with her first heart attack in 1955, and has experienced continuous limitation caused by her health condition, it is amazing that she has worked so diligently at her artwork. It is also amazing that she was able to fulfill her desire to travel and see her world.

Dorothy has enriched many people's lives through her expressive artwork and her generosity. IF YOU HAVE A FAVORITE MEMORY OF DOROTHY, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE IT. SHE HAS VERY LIMITED STRENGTH, BUT WOULD THOROUGHLY ENJOY READING ANY COMMENTS...

Dorothy Steidley - Artist

Dorothy Alta House was born in Wichita, Kansas, to Lydia and Emery House, on January 31, 1918. She joined a family that was composed of her parents and boys, boys and boys... Dorothy's older brothers were Paul, Loyd, Richard and Wilbur. A younger brother (Jim) completed the family. The kids enjoyed growing up in the Colorado Springs, Colorado area... hiking in the Garden of the Gods, finding arrow heads and collecting rocks.

Dorothy always viewed the world through the eyes of an artist. She was aware of the line, color, light, shape, texture and space of her world and was inspired to express this awareness in various mediums. She has always used her art to share with the world her thoughts and opinions.







In 1938, Dorothy married Howard Steidley. Daughters Carolyn and Alta completed the family. The Steidley family lived in Denver, Colorado, and Dorothy delighted in using her creative abilities in a wide selection of activities.





Watercolor became Dorothy's medium of choice and she spent years (as an active member of the Colorado Watercolor Society) experimenting with her love of contemporary art. She painted in watercolor for many years, however, her love of clay became dominant. She truly loved the texture, color and smell of clay. As she put it, opening a kiln filled with finished pieces was like a Christmas morning... filled with surprises.




Her fascination with learning about different glazes was enhanced by her understanding of chemistry and the challenges of construction were aided by her talent for engineering. She felt the clay truly spoke to and for her.




Dorothy was a founding member of the Colorado Potter's Guild and was a prolific potter throughout the years. She received numerous awards and accolades. As a part of this recognition, seven times her ceramic pieces were included in the Anniversary Collection of the Channel 6 Auction, she had her work displayed in New York City's Museum of Modern Art, and a chalice and paten created by her was commissioned for the Pope. She constructed and donated stained glass, pottery and cloth works of art to the Washington Park United Church of Christ.

Now Dorothy resides on a wooded hillside west of Grand Junction, CO, and enjoys the beauty that surrounds her. Her most recent endeavors have focused upon creations using twisted sage, rabbit brush, stones, bones... "found objects"... to bring forth angels, fish, and sometimes just the spectacular element, standing alone within a shadow-box frame. She experiments with card-making, too. She just recently purchased a digital camera and is learning to record the beauty she sees.

At the age of 90, and having fought heart disease since her first heart attack 50 years ago and experiencing bi-pass surgery 30 years ago, she is very independent and active, and her appreciation for creative expression has never dimmed.

The title ARTIST describes Dorothy perfectly.

To see more examples of Dorothy's beautiful work, please visit her Flickr account here.