Madelyn L. “Dotty” Chamberlain, 98 passed away Friday, July 14, 2017 at the Residency Rehab Center in Scottsbluff, NE. A Wake Service will be held at 7:00 p.m., Friday evening, July 21, 2017 with Deacon Dan Gilbert officiating, followed by a Memorial Mass at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, July 22, 2017 with Father Robert Karnish officiating. Both services will be held at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Scottsbluff. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery. Viewing and visitation will be held Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Jolliffe Funeral Home in Scottsbluff. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the homeless and hungry through VCNIN-St. Agnes Catholic Church. Online condolences may be left at www.jolliffefuneralhome.com. Madelyn suffered a debilitating stroke on Easter Sunday, 2017. Following a stay at Regional West Medical Center in July, later she was admitted to The Residency Rehab Center until her passing.
Madelyn was born April 17, 1919 in Kanona, Kansas to Glen C. and Jessie C. (Harmon) Murray. After a divorce Jessie married Harry (Mamp) Ryan, her step-father, whom she admired. He worked for the railroad. Madelyn’s grandparents, Leo and Madge (Ma) Harmon were her primary caregivers. They farmed corn and alfalfa, but her grandfather was primarily a dealer in buying and selling horses. He gave her the nickname “Dotty” when she was born, saying, “She is no bigger than a dot!” Dotty was taught to drive a tractor by the hired men at age 5. Dotty’s grandfather bought her first pony when she was five years old. The pony was named Billie. She rode him bareback the five miles back to the farm, falling off numerous times, while her grandfather followed in the car, to help her back on Billie after falling off. She raced horses when she was 11 and 12 years old.
Raised in Wray, CO, she graduated from Wray High School in 1936. Dotty married Emmor F. Allen in 1936, and to this marriage was born a son, Richard (Bob) Norman Allen. Dottie and Emmor were divorced two years later. She met Pat Chamberlain in Wray, where they both attended high school. They were married in 1940 and then moved to Denver, CO. A year later a daughter, Jacquelyn Joe Chamberlain was born. They were married over 51 years and she has been a widow for 26 years since Pat’s death in 1991. Since her mother was a beautician, Dotty learned cosmetology and worked for a time as a beautician in Denver. Her grandfather encouraged her to find work with the government as she got older, because she was good with numbers. At age 28, during World War Two, Madelyn was employed by the War Department, and later at the Air Force Accounting and Finance Center, both in Denver, until her retirement in 1974. The Air Force warehouse division stocked and supplied medical supplies for the military. She became the first female storekeeper in the USA to manage one of 8 compartments for the government warehouse, and received an award for this position The men in the warehouse taught her how to use a forklift, so they could have longer breaks. She secured pallets, drove them out to rail cars, over a metal ramp, placing the pallets in stacks in the waiting rail cars. Meanwhile, the Italian and German prisoners of war would gather near the warehouse, watching her handle that forklift, and then ran in fear from the guard gate when they saw her drive over the ramp with the pallets.
Pat flew an airplane and taught Dotty to work the controls, though she never flew the plane without Pat. She later learned to enjoy speed boat racing with Pat and daughter, Jacque. She was active with her husband in the Rocky Mountain Boat Racing Club for a number of years, officiating for the organization. They also enjoyed family boating, water skiing, trap shooting, fishing and camping. Pat and Dotty enjoyed the time spent with their son Bob, while he attended and graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Bob came home on weekends, along with his high school/college and lifetime friend, Stan Lampe. Good food, jokes and laughter were had by all. Pat and Dotty resided in Denver until 1979, when they moved to Scottsbluff. After her husband passed in December of 1991, Dotty remained fiercely independent until the loss of eyesight and hearing failures curbed that precious independence.
Madelyn was a member of St. Agnes Catholic Church since 1979. One would always see her up front in the second pew with her daughter Jacque, friend Terry Bailey and all the Schaff family behind her. And then it was off to Shari’s to eat breakfast, a weekly ritual with Jacque. Her motto was “Keep On, Keeping On.” One memory she always talked about this past year was for her 97th birthday. After Mass, on her birthday, Father Vince Parsons walked down in front of Madelyn and asked “What do you do to live 97 years?” Because of her hearing problem, she made no comment. Father Vince came back with “Whiskey, WHISKEY.” The parish members roared with laughter, and she told this story over and over again with a big smile. For her 98th birthday, her grandsons Jonathan and Matthew gave her a pink catcher’s mask to protect her face when she would fall. All the families are jokesters, which she participated in whole heartedly!
Madelyn (Dotty) was preceded in death by her grandparents, her parents, her husband Pat and her extended family.
Madelyn is survived by the love of her life for the past nine years, her dog Muffin, her son, Richard N. (Bob) (Barbara) Allen of Yountville, CA; her daughter, Jacque J. (Monte) Neu of Scottsbluff, NE; nine grandchildren, Dennis (Ann-Sofie) Allen of Genoa, NV, Douglas (Tina) Allen of Gilroy, CA, Derek (Debi) Allen of Pleasanton, CA, Chris Lordino of Portland, OR, Timothy (Jackie) Lordino of Chadron, NE, Michael (Yolanda) Lordino of Monument, CO, Todd (Heather) Neu of Minatare, NE, Tonya Neu of Lakewood, CO, Jennifer (Gilbert) Allen Wong of Palo Alto, CA; fourteen great grandchildren, Patrick Allen and Melissa Allen of Seattle, WA, Keith Allen of Lafayette, CA, Kyle Allen of Marina, CA, Bryce Allen and Lindsey Allen of San Francisco, CA, Mila Wong and Anya Wong of Palo Alto, CA, Jon (Jaime) Lordino of Bennington, NE, Matt Lordino of Chadron, NE, Dylan Lordino and Brooke Lordino of Monument, CO and MarLee Neu and MaCee Neu of Minatare, NE. In addition there were some dedicated friends; Betty Ridgeway, Peg Olsen, Steve Hascall, Wilda Britthour, Scott and Jennifer Hughes, Stan Lampe, Joyce Kosel and Dena Jones.

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