Bethany, MO: Doretta Madison Youngman, 98, Bethany, MO passed away Monday, April 26, 2021 at the Bedford Specialty Care Home in Bedford, IA.
She was born on March 17, 1923 in rural Harrison County, Missouri the daughter of Ross and Katholeen (Justice) Madison.
Doretta had a unique and interesting life. She served in the United States Marine Corps during WWII. She specifically chose the Marines because she didnâtâ like the WAVES hats and thought the Marines had the best looking uniforms! One rarely thinks of Doretta as âtypicalâ, but doesnât the uniform apparel comment seem a typical teenage girlâs viewpoint?
After a year and a summer of college, she was teaching at Melbourne when Pearl Harbor was bombed. She was completing a 2nd year at Melbourne High School when the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines started enrolling female members. Lady military members could be nurses, clerical assistants, or transportation drivers which freed more men for combat duty. The Marines did not have many female enrollees until 1943. Doretta was the first lady from Harrison County to join the Marines. She chose transportation and drove all kinds of vehicles on Marine bases: buses, ambulances, trucks, and motor scooters. She chose to be outside and see different parts of these United States. While doing that, she learned about many different transmissions and shifting gears while keeping large vehicles on the roads! She did see much of the U.S. as she served on both coasts â in North Carolina first, then rode a train across the country to California where she received further training (about what to do if the ship was sinking!), and then sailed to Hawaii and spent the rest of the war there.
Marines live by and fight with these core values: Honor, Courage, and Commitment. There are also 14 Marine Traits: Justice, Dependability, Initiative, Decisiveness, Tact, Integrity, Enthusiasm, Bearing, Unselfishness, Courage, Knowledge, Loyalty, and Endurance. Doretta met most of these values and traits as a church member, school teacher, a transportation expert for the Marines, a loyal U.S. citizen, and a dedicated mother.
Whether it was her upbringing on a Harrison County farm with 9 brothers and sisters, her determination to become a college graduate and a teacher, her Christian beliefs, or her years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Doretta exhibited most of the leadership traits. She also had a strong faith in God, a great sense of humor, and a sincere love for her family, her friends, and her students.
Always interested and friendly, she was easy to visit with. Until you realized that somehow you were doing all the talking! She enjoyed learning about people and making new friends.
Besides serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Doretta showed great commitment and decisiveness in getting educated â in country schools from age 5 to age 12, at Bethany High School where she graduated with the Class of 1939 at the age of 16, and in her college training at Central Missouri State College in Warrensburg. After leaving the military, she taught at Ridgeway, Hatfield and Bethany schools and attended summer college sessions to earn her teaching degree and her lifetime Missouri and Iowa teaching certificates.
Many students benefited from her love of teaching. Recent proof of that occurred in March when her 98th birthday was announced in Bethany, MO and Villisca and Clarinda, IA newspapers. She received 304 birthday cards; 119 from Bethany friends and 185 from Iowa co-teachers and former students with thank youâs and special memories. A few teachers visited her in Bedford Care Center. One said, âIf you ever met Doretta Youngman, you remember her!â Dorettaâs comment about her 44 years teaching: âTeaching was a joy, not a job.â
The most difficult test of the Marine Code, Honor-Courage-Commitment, and all 14 traits came when her son, Darryl, was injured in an automobile accident. Darryl graduated from Clarinda High School where he was a good student and an outstanding football player. Doretta traveled all over Iowa that fall to see Darryl play football for William Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Then came Christmas break and Darrylâs accident which caused him to live the remainder of his life in a wheel chair with his mother caring for him.
Many years as a loving caregiver for her son. Many years teaching high school students. Many years devoted to church work and club activities â she was always doing her duty. Doretta lived a long and productive life full of friends and family and much love. She lived up to the Marine Code and all 14 Marine traits AND more importantly, she believed in God and followed His Word.
She was preceded in death by her son, Darryl Lee Youngman; her parents; sister, Helen and her brothers, Harold, Robert, Lee, James, Hubert, and Darryl Madison.
Doretta is survived by her sister, Phronsie Conway, brother, Charlie Madison, Chris Young who Doretta always referred to as the daughter she wish she had, all of Bethany, MO and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and special friends.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 at Roberson Funeral Home, Bethany, MO. Burial with Military Rites will follow in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Bethany, MO. The family will receive friends from 10:00-10:30 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Mt. Olivet Cemetery in care of Roberson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 46, Bethany, MO 64424. Online condolences may be left at www.robersonfuneralhome.com