Edna Dooley

Edna Mellick Dooley, 93, of Davenport, beloved mother, grandmother, and friend, peacefully passed away Saturday, September 12, 2020 at the Kahl Home in Davenport. She will be greatly missed.

Funeral services and Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 16, 2020 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Bettendorf. Private burial will take place at St. Joseph Cemetery in Iowa City. A rosary will be recited at 4:00 p.m. followed by a prayer service with visitation from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 15th at Halligan McCabe DeVries Funeral Home in Davenport. An additional visitation will be one hour prior to mass at church Wednesday. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Alzheimer’s Association.

Edna was born February 25, 1927 in rural Bluff Creek Township, Monroe County, Iowa, the 12th of 13 children to George and Anna (Zeick) Mellick. She grew up on the family farm and graduated from Albia Iowa High School in 1945. Edna attended the University of Iowa, receiving a BS degree in Pharmacy in 1949 where she received the Merck Prize as the Outstanding Student in Hospital Pharmacy. She married Jack Dooley on August 13, 1949 in Iowa City. The couple later divorced in 1970.

Edna had a long career in Hospital Pharmacy that took her to positions in Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois. She has been frequently recognized for her professional accomplishments. Most notably while working as Director of Pharmacy at Mason District Hospital in Havana, Illinois. In 1981 she was named Pharmacist of the Year for the Central United States by HPI the contract service MDH was using. In 1990 she was awarded Illinois Hospital Pharmacist of the Year by the Illinois Council of Hospital Pharmacist (ICHP). In 1991 she received the President’s award from ICHP and Pfizer Pharmaceutical. She had been commended for her 50-year career in Pharmacy by then Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack.

Alongside her busy professional life, she found time for her many hobbies and interests including gardening, as a certified Master Gardener, needle point, and other crafts for which she garnered awards at local fairs. She was an avid reader and life-long learner, belonging to numerous book clubs. Edna was interested in the world around her and traveled with family members to Japan, Ireland, Spain, Italy, and Portugal.

A cancer survivor, Edna volunteered for many years as an organizer for Walk for Life and Reach for Recovery, a Christian advocate for peace, environmental preservation and social justice. Edna’s faith was central to her life. Throughout her life she was always very involved in her church community. She has been a member of study groups, organized food banks, chaired committees, and was a eucharistic minister. Edna was most recently a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Bettendorf.

Beyond and above all of her accomplishments and interests, she was a devoted mother and grandmother. Those left to honor her memory include her children, Patrick (Mary) Dooley of Lawrence, Kansas, Michael (Deb) Dooley of Iowa City, Terry Dooley of Kewanee, Illinois, Ellen (John) Corsiglia of Davenport, Jane (Elvin Jackson) Clemons of San Jose, California, and James (Maki Hishikawa) Dooley of Arlington, Virginia; grandchildren, Courtney, Ryan, Erica, Colin, Claire, Grace, James, and Megan; great-grandchildren, Jalen, Jaxson, Annyka, Madelynn, Tatum, Brody, Aiden, Connor, Brendt, and Miles.

She was preceded in death by her parents, daughter, Margaret, and her siblings.

Edna’s family would like to express their thanks and appreciation to the staff at Jersey Ridge Place, where she lived from August 2019 – July 2020. She spent her last few months at the Kahl Home, where she was blessed to receive both physical and spiritual care.