Dolores Vera (Brand) Kreamalmyer

Dolores Vera Kreamalmyer (nee Brand) was born April 28, 1927 to Mary Amanda Brand (nee Todd) and William Jennings Brand in St. Louis City, Missouri, and passed away the morning of July 13, 2024, aged 97 years, two months and 15 days.

In 1945, when her two brothers, Louis and Otto, returned from their tours of duty during WWII, Dolores graduated near the top of her class from Hadley Technical School in St. Louis, Missouri, where she pursued secretarial and administrative skills. Her first job was with Doans Agriculture in St. Louis. Shortly thereafter she took a job at Cass Bank as a bookkeeper, running their new bookkeeping machine.

At the age of 21 she decided to relocate to Leasburg, Missouri, to join her mother in caring for her father, who was battling multiple sclerosis. Within a few weeks she had secured a job with [what is now] Crawford Electric, running the same kind of bookkeeping machine she had run during her tenure at Cass Bank. There, she met Festus Glenn Kreamalmyer of Cherryville, Missouri.

On June 14, 1952, Dolores and Festus were united in marriage.  The newlyweds resided in the old Kreamalmyer “homeplace”, where Festus had been born in 1918, sharing the home for close to four years with Festus’ brother Kenneth and his [then] wife, Audrey, in 1956 the couple bought a farm and land holdings across the valley from the homeplace, and have been residents of the Cherryville community since.

In February of 1957 Dolores gave birth to their only child, a daughter, Linda Louise Kreamalmyer. By the mid-1970s, Festus raised registered black Angus cattle and was the manager of the Steelville Telephone Company and Dolores worked part-time, both in the offices of [then] County Collector Bill Bouse and at Steelville Telephone. Daughter Linda graduated Steelville High School in 1975, and Festus retired from the telephone company in 1977.

Dolores was instrumental in the redesign and re-build of their home, which was completed by Joe Midgett in 1978.

Both Festus and Dolores loved bowling, and bowled until the late 1970s on teams in both Cuba and Steelville. Together and separately, they amassed quite a collection of trophies for their participation in bowling tournaments with their various teams, in and around the State of Missouri.

Dolores laughed easily and often, and had a great sense of humor. She was always first with a quick comment or thought, and always first to encourage her friends and family when they most needed it. Her love was quiet, but it was large, and her emotions ran deep. She had a great deal of compassion for any living thing or person, and was always wanting to bring peace and comfort to those around her. Her relationship with God was very important to her. He gave her a strength and confidence that she carried with her throughout her life, until she drew her last breath and went home to Him, where we belong.

Dolores was preceded in death by her spouse, Festus Kreamalmyer, her mother and father, Mary Amanda and William, her two brothers, Louis and Otto Brand, various aunts, uncles and cousins. She is survived by her daughter, Linda Louis-VanReed (nee Kreamalmyer) and husband, Bruce, niece Judy Plank (nee Kreamalmyer), nephew Daniel Glenn Kreamalmyer, their spouses, children and extended family.    

Graveside services were held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, July 22, 2024 at the Freeman Cemetery with her daughter, Linda Louis-VanReed and Rev. Stoney Shaw officiating.

Inurnment followed in the Freeman Cemetery, Cherryville, MO.

The Kreamalmyer Family was served by the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home in Steelville, MO.

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