Dorothy Stoner

Dorothy Marie Nicely Stoner, 98, of Somerset, N.J., passed away on January 2, 2014.

Born November 22, 1915 in Ligonier, Pennsylvania to G. Bert and Anna Seaton Nicely, she was raised on the family farm and graduated from Ligonier High School in 1934. She and her husband, the late Donald Stoner, moved to Gary, Indiana, where Donald worked in a steel mill. In 1952, they relocated to Sharon, Pennsylvania, where they raised their family.

Mrs. Stoner enjoyed her community involvement. She volunteered for over 25 years at Sharon General Hospital and assisted with the Meals on Wheels program. She was a member for 50 years at the Oakland Avenue United Methodist Church in Sharon, where she served in the Women’s Society and was active in the Sunday School program.

She was a talented craftsperson, known for her quilts, sweaters and afghans. She also enjoyed painting ceramics and sharing her work with family and friends.

Mrs. Stoner loved traveling and relating her experiences through countless postcards. She and her husband made several car trips to the Western U.S. and after his passing, she still drove as far as Florida to visit with friends and family. She celebrated her 92nd birthday aboard a cruise ship to Mexico.

She moved to Madison in 1999, and lived ten years there before moving to Somerset.

Mrs. Stoner was the mother-in-law of the late Lewis E. Pelkey, former associate pastor at the Madison Presbyterian Church. She is survived by her daughter, Donna S. Pelkey, of Somerset; her grandson Todd G. Pelkey, of Huntington Beach, California; and her granddaughter, Lynn C. Pelkey, of Hollywood, California.