Connie Doden

Corinne Doden, 88 of Buffalo Center died Friday July 3, 2015 at Hancock Memorial Hospital in Britt, Iowa. Visitation will be Thursday, July 16 from 5 to 7:00 pm at Winter Funeral Home. Graveside services will be 11:00 am Friday, July 17th at Graceland Cemetery, Buffalo Center. Corinne “Connie” Frances (Gernaey) Doden, daughter of Gabriel and Hulda Gernaey, was born July 30, 1927 in Rock Island, Illinois. She was educated at St. Joseph Catholic High School, graduating in 1945. She then attended Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa and graduated with a B.A. in Music from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois in 1949. Mrs. Doden’s father, Gabriel, was a concert violinist and she continued the family tradition by becoming a concert pianist. She also taught music in Illinois public schools until she joined the U.S. Air Force in 1952. Following Officer Candidate School in Alabama, she was commissioned a Lieutenant and was stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio, Edwards AFB in California, and Elmendorf AFB in Alaska. Corinne was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 1956 and returned to teaching vocal music and piano, in high schools...[more]

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both Pocahontas and Thompson school districts. On July 7, 1958, she married Arnold Doden of Woden, Iowa. In addition to raising their two sons, Corinne helped operate her husband’s farm and his trucking company. Following his death in 1975, she continued both businesses for several years. She then pursued her business and personal interests with a great passion, always learning as much as she could about the many subjects she found interesting. She returned to giving private piano lessons in the 1980’s and had many fine students from the north Iowa area. For years Corinne was involved in flower gardening and grew a wide variety of flowers on her farm. She also raised Doberman Pinschers for 35 years and typically had two or three dogs at a time. Although not an athlete herself, Corinne became interested in sports when her sons began to compete. She faithfully attended football, wrestling, and track and field events over the years, cheering on her sons as well as their friends who participated. Her sons were always the most important part of her life and she supported them in all their pursuits. As a serious reader, Mrs. Doden accumulated a substantial home library covering a wide range of subjects, including flower gardening, genealogy, politics, dogs, science, history and more. In the late 1990’s she taught herself to use a personal computer. Despite being in her 70’s at the time, Corinne took on this challenge with her usual vigor and, consequently, the Internet opened up an entirely new world of learning and resources to her. With this she expanded her interests in flower gardening and genealogy (among other things) and corresponded with relatives and new friends with similar interests from around the world. Corinne continued to work on her computer until the day before she entered the care center in June of this year. Her intellect was keen until the very end. A visitation was held at Winter Funeral Home in Buffalo Center on July 16, and Corinne was laid to rest next to her husband in Graceland Cemetery near Buffalo Center on July 17. She is survived by her sons Arnold Gabriel Doden of State College, Pennsylvania, and John Douglas Doden of Woden, Iowa, and by Arnold’s wife Judith Meyer. She also leaves behind her beloved Dobermans, Jack and Annie.