Darlene Dolly T. Meis

I’ve said in the past that God brought me to this family when I was a small child so that they could lead me back to him. Dolly played a huge part in this process. Even as a small child I saw her beauty, her kindness, her giving spirit, her love for Jesus, for her family, and for me. Dolly showed me that this kind of love comes from putting others before self, from laughter, from kindness…. from God. Just like she did for her sons Kevin, Kelan and her sister Roxie, through her example Dolly showed me the way to God.

Most of you know that Roxie has been my best friend since 4th grade. But Dolly loved to tell people that she met me long before Roxie did. I remember this story like it was yesterday. One warm summer day I decided to take a walk, not an unusual thing for a kid to do, except I was only 4 or 5 years old. I remember so clearly walking down the street and I saw the most beautiful women planting flowers in her front yard. She was the most glamorous women I had ever seen and I was sure that she was a movie star. Her blonde hair was long but still stacked up high on her head, a lot like Dolly Parton, her clothes were stylish and her eyes were hypnotizing. For some reason I was so drawn to her I just had to stop and talk,. I walked right up to her and said, “Hi, I’m Pam watcha doin”. Dolly said she was startled when she looked up and saw a skinny little girl staring down on her. She said, I’m Dolly, I’m planting my flowers do you want to help me? I sat down on the grass with Dolly and I must have asked her a million questions. I’m sure that she was way to busy but she dropped everything and took her time with that skinny little girl. I was fascinated by everything about her. I thought that her house was the prettiest house I had ever seen, I noticed that the yard was the most beautiful on the block, the grass was perfect and soft, the bushes trimmed like those I had seen in books and even the flowers were somehow brighter than any I had ever seen. I was mesmerized with wonder dreaming of what life must be like in this enchanted place that she called home. Dolly was worried that I was out walking around on my own at such a young age. She asked me several times, Does your mommy know where you are? Of course I lied and said, yes, my mom let’s me go for walks all of the time. ( I did get into a lot of trouble for that little adventure, but now I know it was worth it). Dolly said, I have 2 little boys, they are playing in the back yard, do you want to go play with them? My bubble was burst, I had 4 brothers at home that I didn’t want to play with, no use staying there if I had to share Dolly with someone else. So I made an excuse and went home. Little did I know that this beautiful women would play a huge part huge in shaping my life.

Dolly’s Dad was the life of the party, he was kind and giving but still strong, proud, and honorable. Her Momma was God’s humble servant, she was nurturing, faithful, and likely the most gentle and loving soul I have ever known. God took the best parts of both of them mixed them together perfectly and created Dolly, the life of the party, kind, giving, strong honorable, faithful, nurturing, gentle and loving. Her laugh was infectious and part of her charm was that she said what ever was on her mind. Sometimes her comments surprised us, sometimes they shocked us but the truth is we were all thinking the same thing, we just didn’t have the guts to say it. She made us laugh, she helped us cry, she loved us.

Dolly was born in Bison, Kansas, near Victoria (at home) on February 9,1937. Momma said it only took her only 20 minutes to be born and I don’t think she has slowed down since. She married the love of her life Ken Meis on June 21, 1958 at the Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria, Kansas; It was the beginning of 53 years of abiding love that most could never imagine. Kenny and Dolly moved to Westminster in 1956 where Ken began his career as a Carpenter and Dolly went to work creating the sanctuary that they called home. They were blessed with 2 sons, Kevin in 1959 and Kelan in 1967. Dolly was the mom that every child dreams of; she kept a beautiful home, she was the ultimate room mother, she made sure that her children, and her little sister Roxie got to do all of the things that children could imagine. She drove circles around this city delivering kids to band practice, ball practice, dance lessons, football games, bowling, Elitchs, Lakeside, she sewed costumes, made the cookies, and when the week was done we all went camping. All of this and she made sure that her mom and dad were always there to share in the fun. Together with the support of her true love, husband and best friend, Dolly and Kenny created a magical world. The world I like to call my snow globe.

We all know that Dolly has endured more physical pain than any of us has could even imagine. But I wonder if any of us even gave it much thought? It wasn’t because we didn’t love Dolly dearly or that we didn’t care. The fact is that we didn’t really see it. Dolly would let us know what was going on with her but she wouldn’t dwell on it, she wouldn’t feel sorry for herself and she didn’t want any pity from us. Dolly’s bravery was surpassed only by her determination, and she would not have her life defined by a physical ailment. With her Kenny at her side, Dolly continued to travel, she met her friends for bunko, she went to the hill with her friends and with her Ben, she spent hours and hours painting with her Rosemary, she spent time with her friends from Jazzersize, and of course she worked tirelessly taking care of her precious momma. Just last week, Eileen showed me the tennis shoes that Dolly wore daily. All of the tread on the bottom of the shoes was nearly gone; not from age but from the miles she put on them. With the help of her loving Kenny, nothing could slow her down.

I think that you all know that I stand in constant awe of this family. Kenny, Kelan, Kevin, Eileen, Rosemary and Ben, Roxie and Dale, Nick and Nikki. I watch them in this tremendous time of trial. Each one of these beautiful people have no concern for themselves. They are each so concerned about the other that there is no time for them to worry about themselves. In times that could shake most people all you will see here is generous and sincere hugs, acts of helpfulness and generosity and just like Grandma Urban taught them, lot’s and lot’s of sincere I love you’s. They set a beautiful example for me and for the world, for that I am ever thankful.

Dolly taught me God isn’t only in the big and bold things that we do, it’s the little things, the mundane things, it’s the daily trips to the band practice, the visits to mom’s house, the kind hello to a stranger, the phone call to the friend, the gentle kiss on the cheek, it’s even in the housework. Through these things we teach, we learn and we love.

I wonder if Dolly could have ever dreamed that she would have such an impact on that skinny little girl who stopped by for a chat so many years ago? I wonder if she could have dreamed of the impact she would have on all of the people she touched and eventually on all of the people that they would touch. I wonder if she ever knew that her corner of the world is a little brighter and a lot warmer because of her simple acts of kindness; for it was there in her eyes that we saw God.

Do we know how our lives impact will impact others? We get overwhelmed by the bad news in the world, by the challenges of day to day life. If we could just remember what Dolly taught us; it’s the little things that matter. With our own simple acts of kindness we could warm our own corner of the world, then my corner would touch your corner and eventually all of our corners would meet. That’s how we honor Dolly, that’s how we see God.

Thanks for teaching us Dolly, we will do our best. We love you!