Dottie Knetsch Obituary

Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint. – Isaiah 40:31

A service of Celebration & Thanksgiving for Dottie Forinash Knetsch will take place at 11:00 am on Saturday, January 14, 2017, at Central United Methodist Church in Lawrence, Kansas.

In personal tribute: My beloved wife Dottie Forinash Knetsch was born Dorothy (Lillian) Forinash in Kansas City, KS on Feb. 28, 1947 She died in Lawrence on December 27, 2016. We married on September 10, 1967 in Wichita, Kansas. Our daughter Shivaun Hickman resides in Grantville, KS, with her daughter and our granddaughter Alexis Hickman. Our other granddaughter, Tori Hickman, resides with Tyler Cone in Phoenix, Arizona. Dottie has two brothers in Lawrence: Joe Forinash & his wife Kate, and Drury Forinash & his wife Liz. Her sister Marilynn Duckett lives in Blue Springs, MO, and her husband Bob Duckett just died on Dec. 22. Dottie was also preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Lynn & Mary Leigh Forinash of Wichita, KS.

A 1965 graduate of Wichita South HS, Dottie was especially active in the theatre program. In 1967, we met in an acting class at Wichita State University, where she was a theatre major. We fell in love almost instantly while working on acting projects together. In June we became engaged, and then married in September. Some speculated that our marriage wouldn't last, but we fooled them! Dottie completed her BA degree (with honors, of course) in History at Furman University in Greenville, SC in 1971. Under my direction at Furman, she played the title role in Sean O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock. This led to a lifetime of connection to and love for Ireland, culminated by our 40th anniversary trip to that country. While I was a KU Theatre graduate student (1972-76), Dottie worked on campus. It was during this period that our daughter Shivaun (named after Sean O'Casey's daughter) was born in Lawrence, and Dottie looked back at that time with such fondness. Making a radical change of direction, Dottie felt called to ministry. Pursuing that call, she earned her Master of Divinity degree from St. Paul School of Theology in 1982. On a Fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, GA (1987-92), she completed all but the dissertation toward a doctorate in Theology. For a time, she was a graduate assistant to eminent professor, scholar and preacher, Dr. Fred Craddock.

Ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church in 1984, Dottie served Kansas United Methodist churches in Hope, Cassoday, Burns, Mentor, El Dorado, Oxford, Eudora, Pittsburg, and Tecumseh, and in Georgia served Belmont UMC. In recent years, Dottie was an active participant at Central United Methodist Church in Lawrence.

Dottie introduced me to camping early in our marriage, and it became our favored activity. Dottie, Shivaun and I camped in tents for some twenty-five of those years, and our shared memories of those vacations are central to our little family. Travels took us from Wisconsin to Arizona, from Montana to Louisiana, and many spots in between. Most recently, Dottie and I took tours to Alaska and Canada. We have enjoyed several extensive visits and stays in my native country, The Netherlands. Dottie's remarkable gift for languages enabled her to develop a considerable capacity for speaking Dutch, making it possible to converse with many of my non-English speaking family members.

Nowhere was Dottie more open and joyful than within the church. A gifted preacher and interpreter of scripture, Dottie never lost her interest in and passion for theology. She had a special affinity for Old Testament and Judaic law and practice. During her years of ministry, she also enjoyed her lessons with children. More recently, Dottie and I had regular "God-talks", together seeking to come to greater understanding of weekly scripture challenges.

Laughter was a vital part of our relationship. Anyone who knew Dottie recognized her laugh, as well as her smile. Her laughter filled whatever space she occupied at the time. She loved to read, especially well into the night, and was thoroughly devoted to only one TV show - Jeopardy! We were in love for more than forty-nine years. I miss her greatly, and give thanks to God for my beloved Dottie. – Piet R. Knetsch

Memorial gifts may be offered to: Central United Methodist Church, 1501 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.