Dorothy Racette

Dorothy Elizabeth Racette, 100, of Oakley, died Tuesday, November 17, 2020, at the Logan County Hospital, in Oakley. She was born August 14, 1920, in a sod house, in southern Logan County, KS, to William O. and Beth (Wise) Martin. When Dorothy was 8 years old, her family started building a new home. The home was almost finished when a bad storm hit and destroyed their sod house. Dorothy remembered moving into the new home in the middle of the night, during the storm.

Dorothy graduated from Monument High School in 1938. In her 20s, Dorothy heard of a seed company hiring in Oregon State and moved there with two friends. While she was home for Christmas, Frank Flax proposed to her. Dorothy and Frank were married in 1946 and had two children, William and Mary. They farmed south of Oakley. In 1953 Frank passed away, leaving Dorothy to care for their two children. She continued to farm on her own until 1955, when she met Wilcid Racette. They were married on June 2, 1955, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Oakley and they enjoyed 61 years of marriage before his death. They added two more children to the family, Steve and Helen. The couple moved into Oakley in 1989. Their house was always open for the grandkids and their friends to stop by. Dorothy loved feeding them all and being called “grandma” by many.

Dorothy was an active member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, the Altar Society, VFW Auxiliary, RSVP and Pleasant Hour Club. Never one to sit idle, Dorothy volunteered for many things, some of those included delivering Meals on Wheels, helping with commodities and Heartland Share, serving on the Farm Bureau Board and organizing and serving funeral dinners. She also made old-fashioned noodles for the Catholic and Methodist churches. If you ever had a question about the history of Oakley, Dorothy was the one to ask. She was an Oakley Historian and remembered everyone.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents; husbands, Frank Flax and Wilcid Racette; son, William Joseph Flax; sisters, Opal Bretz, Bertha Joseph and Leila Burkhead and brothers, William Martin and infant John Martin.

She is survived by her children, Mary (Larry) Heier, Colby, Steve (Diann) Racette, Oakley and Helen (David) Herl, Grainfield; sister-in-law, Lillian Martin; brother-in-law Tauscher Bretz; grandchildren, Sarah (Alex) Toennis, Peter Heier, Joseph Heier, Regina (Trent) Chriestenson, Micheline (PD) Huffman, Brent Ratzlaff, John Racette, Jennifer Racette, Janell Racette, Shawn Beagley, Dexter Herl (Tiffany Thomas), Derek (Kelsie) Herl, Kimberly (William) Kinderknecht, Darius (Rachel) Herl and Chase Herl; seventeen great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.

Visitation is 5-7:00 p.m. Monday, November 23, 2020 at Baalmann Mortuary, Oakley, with a Vigil at 7:00 p.m. Funeral Mass is 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Oakley, with burial to follow at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to St. Joseph School, in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 204, Oakley, KS 67748. For condolences or information visit www.baalmannmortuary.com