Dorcas Owens Kerr

Dorcas Owens Kerr, 93, died late Sunday (March 8) at Mt. Carmel East.  “Dorkie” was born May 28, 1926, in Van Wert, Ohio, to Ford Groendyke Owens and Marie “Dot” Elder Owens.
She worked at her dad’s newspaper, the Van Wert Times-Bulletin, before she graduated from DePauw University in 1948 with a degree in English. At DePauw, she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
After graduating, Dorcas worked in the public relations department of Borden’s Inc. in Columbus and lived at the Downtown YWCA.
Mutual friends of their parents introduced Dorcas to Wilburn Kent Kerr Jr., and Dorcas and Bill were married Oct. 20, 1951, in Van Wert.
The couple lived in Bexley before moving with their three sons to Pickerington, where they added a daughter.
The Kerrs were involved in many community activities there before they moved back to German Village, where Bill had established a real estate business, after their children were grown.
They had a wonderful life together involving family, volunteering, traveling, antiquing, spending their winters in Vero Beach, Fla., and forming what they called their Dinner Club with three other couples, their lifelong friends.
After Bill died in 2001, Dorcas moved to Canal Winchester, where she lived until her death.
The family thanks the staff at Canal Winchester assisted living, where she spent her final two years.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death in February by a son, Doug, in Beavercreek, Ohio, and siblings Betty Ann, Bob and Jackie.
She is survived by sons Kent (Brenda) of Columbus and Bruce (Cindy) of Canal Winchester; a daughter, Suzanne Birdsong (Tom) of Pittsburgh, Pa.; and a daughter-in-law, Karen Kerr of Beavercreek. She also is survived by six grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in the spring. Those who wish may donate to the American Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601 in Dorcas’ memory.