Doris Jean Reddin, 99, of Dubuque, Iowa, formerly of Bellevue and Cascade, Iowa passed away peacefully on March 14, 2025, at her home in Dubuque.

Visitation for Doris will be held from 10 a.m. to Noon, on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at the Cascade Presbyterian Church in Cascade, Iowa where service for Doris will be held at Noon with Pastor Wayne Peach presiding.  Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery.

Doris was born on April 11, 1925, in Olin, Iowa, daughter of Eugene and Dorothy (McElrath) Emerson.  On November 10, 1945, she was united in marriage to Charles H. Reddin at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Cascade, Iowa.  He preceded her in death on October 16, 1999.

Doris's memoirs focused on the uncertainty her parents and siblings endured after losing their farm in Olin, Iowa. Relatives of their father wrote that jobs could be had in Warren, Ohio, so the family packed up and went there in 1935; the first of many moves in search of jobs and housing.
Eventually the family returned to Cascade, Iowa and settled in. The older kids joined their father, finding work in order to contribute their share to the family earnings. The scars of those hard times remained with Doris throughout her lifetime.

After graduating from St. Mary's High School in Cascade in 1943, Doris received her Iowa State Teaching Certificate from University of Dubuque that Summer. She began her career in the Fall, teaching at the one room Manternach School in Jones County. She rode with her best friend, Delores McAllister, who taught in "the next school down" and owned a 1928 Model A. Ford. Going forward, she was granted a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Dubuque and her Master's Degree from the University of Northern Iowa. She was involved in establishing the Special Education Program at Dubuque Prescott School, retiring after 45 years in Iowa's Public School System.

Throughout her adult life of teaching and raising six children with Charles (who was a great cook), Doris retained close ties with her siblings in frequent visits and annual family reunions. She is known as the family historian, researching Emerson and Reddin genealogy alongside Charles. Her documented histories and memories of extended relationships were shared in the numerous 3-ring binders she gifted to her children and siblings in hopes of maintaining those ties.

She is survived by four children, Gail (David) Weitz of Dubuque, Robert (Ann) Reddin of Zwingle, Galen Reddin of Spillville and Amy Reddin of Maquoketa; a daughter-in-law, Mary Reddin of Marion; 11 grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; 3 great great grandchildren; one sister, Mary Slauson of Maryville, WA; a sister-in-law, Cheryl Emerson of Newhall, IA and several nieces and nephews.

She is also preceded in death by her parents; a son, Thomas Reddin; a daughter, Cathy Myers; one granddaughter, Jennifer Pauley; one great grandson, Gavin Myers; six brothers, Clifford "Dale" (Margaret) Emerson, Galen "Jake" (Leota) Emerson, Charles "Fritz" (Dorothy) Emerson, Roger Emerson, James Emerson, and Everette "Tony" Emerson; her father and mother-in-law, Thomas J. and Anna (Koster) Reddin; and a brother-in-law, Donald Slauson.

She had a full life and a long one. We should all be so blessed.

The family gives thanks to Hospice of Dubuque and caregiver Peg Koppes.

Memorials for Doris may be given to Hospice of Dubuque or to Plant a Tree