Dorothy Sheets

Mrs. Dorothy (Howell) Sheets, age 95, died Tuesday, April 26, 2011. She was born in Mendham, NJ on July 3, 1915 to William & Elisabeth (Baraniecki) Howell and married Robert E. Sheets on June 23, 1951. Until her retirement in 1978, Mrs. Sheets had taught at Muskegon Community College for 15 years. Prior to that, she was Minister of Music at Samuel Lutheran Church and from 1978-1988 she was the organist at Bethany Christian Reformed Church in Muskegon. She received her education at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, MD and at the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary in NY. Mrs. Sheets was a WAVE during WWII, serving as a Link Trainer Instructor in Memphis, TN. Before her marriage, she was the college organist at Mt. Holyoke College in S. Hadley, MA. Mrs. Sheets was a member of the First Congregational Church UCC in Muskegon, the Greater Muskegon Woman's Club, Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel, the Muskegon Lakeshore Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and former board member of the Community Concert Association. Since her retirement, Mrs. Sheets devoted time to composing music for use in the church. She has published pieces for organ and her hymn-tunes appear in several hymnals. SURVIVORS Son, R. Alan Sheets of Troy; sister, Betty Chapman; brother, Dr. William C. (Pat) Howell; 2 nieces & 4 nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert in 1992; sisters, Louise Howell & Helen Williams. MEMORIAL SERVICE Monday, May 23, 2011 2:00 PM at Freedom Village, 145 Columbia Ave. Holland. MEMORIAL: Habitat for Humanity or Holland/Zeeland Community Foundation Sheets Freedom Village Scholarship Fund.