Dorothy Ellen Bouse
Dorothy was born on September 12, 1917 in Ornogo, Missouri in the county of Jasper to Arthur Monroe Shafer and Opal Pauline Craig Shafer. She resided in Jouplin until the age of six, when her father died at the age of 29.
Dorothy’s mother sold the family’s small farm and together with her three small children (Imogene, Dorothy and Neil) got on a train and went out west to Clovis, New Mexico. The children’s mother, together with the assistance of another woman, ran a boarding house; providing meals and lodging to single men. During this time, Dorothy’s mother met and married Arthur Gunnels; a marriage which provided another brother, Gerald Wesley Gunnels. Dorothy attended schools in Jouplin, Missouri and Clovis, New Mexico where she was a Cheer Leader for the Clovis Wildcats and a member of the High AK Sorority. She was also active in the Clovis Toast Mistress for three years. She met and married William Ryan Bouse, a fireman for the Clovis Fire Dept. and a graduate from The University of Oklahoma with a degree in Electrical Engineering, on February 28, 1935, in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. They settled in Clovis, New Mexico where they had two daughters, Vicki Jan Bouse Hollan and Brenda Gay Bouse Neall.
Dorothy was a stay at home mother for the most part in the early years, working a few retail jobs while Bill was a fireman and later on an engineer for the Santa Fe Railroad. Bill was constantly getting hernias while working on the trains and experienced many hospital trips to the Santa Fe Hospital in Topeka, Kansas. After many hernia surgeries, Bill and Dorothy decided for him to quit the railroad and move their family to Albuquerque, New Mexico, which they did in 1949. The move to Albuquerque was very successful for the Bouse family. Bill went to work for Zia Cleaners and Dorothy worked for Montgomery Wards. A business opportunity opened for them and they opened Fashion Cleaners and Laundry in 1954 and owned and operated it until 1984. During her marriage to Bill Bouse, they traveled extensively until his death in 1986. Dorothy’s other great love, other than her family and business, was playing Bridge. She obtained a Life Masters and played often at the Duke City Bridge Club and in many tournaments outside of Albuquerque. During her bridge-playing years and at age 77, in 1995 she met Wilfred A. Clarke, a retired Canadian and US banker and widower. They became close companions and were together nine years until Wilfred’s death in 2004. During their years together, they traveled to Arizona, California, Canada, Colorado, Illinois and Texas frequently.
Dorothy is survived by four grandchildren, Ronnie W. Hollan and his wife, Helen, Paula Hernandez and her husband, Michael, Karen Neal, Scott Hollan, and his wife, Jeri; nine great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren. A thousand thank you’s to Raylena Ives, Raquel Tafoya, Davry Gallegos, and Anna Neiderman with Legacy Home Health and Hospice for the great care and comfort given to our mother. In addition, over the years, we have had great care providers who gave their all in attention and care provided in making our mother’s life comfortable and safe. Many thanks go to Scott Studier, Tonya Swanson, Crissy Armendariz, Rafael Okafor, Gail Pfiffer, Becky Weaver, Mandy Edwards, Denice Sandoval and Misty Nelson.
Friends may visit beginning at 10:00 a.m. before the Funeral Service Saturday, November 13, 2021, 11:00 a.m. at FRENCH – Lomas. Interment will follow the service at Sunset Memorial Park. Please visit our online guestbook for Dorothy at
www.FrenchFunerals.com