Delores Ranshaw

Delores Ranshaw, 92, of Chariton, will have a celebration of life on Thursday, July 3, at 10:00 a.m. at the First Lutheran Church in Chariton, with lunch to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First Lutheran Church in Chariton or Pin Oak Lodge in Chariton. At the request of Delores, her body was donated to Des Moines University. Her cremated remains will be buried at a later date. Delores Irene (Bricker) Ranshaw was the daughter of Walter and Effie (Waggoner) Bricker, and the oldest of four children. Her family knew her as Snookie. Delores grew up in Des Moines and West Des Moines. She was very proud to be a Campfire girl, even into her teens. She was Valedictorian of Valley High School with the class of 1951, and she graduated from Drake University with a degree in business education. Her first teaching job was in Mitchellville where she taught for two years. She then took a job in Chariton teaching typing and shorthand, where she met a spunky, cute teacher named Harlan Ranshaw. According to some former students, Harlan would leave notes outside Miss Bricker's door. Harlan and Delores were married on December 27, 1957. They had two children, Sheryl and Karen. The girls remember their mom writing Christmas lists in shorthand so they wouldn't know what they were getting. Delores also loved being the step-mother to her step-daughter, Linda. For decades, Delores was a substitute teacher at Chariton High School. She did many long-term subbing jobs and would take them very seriously. She did not know Spanish, but when she subbed for an extended period, she took it upon herself to learn the language. Delores was a member of First Lutheran Church. When the girls were young, she oversaw children's music and played the autoharp. She had a passion for the Worship and Music Committee and the Stewardship Committee. Benevolence was very important to her. Her many charitable roles included serving as the local Chapter President for Thrivent, where she handled all the donations to various organizations, including the school bag project, and organizing bell ringers for the Salvation Army. In her later years, she enjoyed filling the Blessing Boxes in Chariton. Delores loved to sew and was always working on a project. Many of the paraments and banners at her church were made by Delores. She worked for many years at The Sampler and loved helping people figure out how to do a project. She was an accomplished seamstress and was always her family's seamstress, helping many of her loved ones with wedding dresses and bridesmaids' dresses. She made many beautiful wall hangings and Christmas ornaments, and she was known for giving handmade laundry bags as graduation gifts. Delores loved to sing. She and Harlan were members of the Aeolians group that put on many concerts and musicals. She also enjoyed singing in her church choir, and singing with her sisters. Delores enjoyed being a part of several groups in Chariton, including the Town and Country Book Club and Faculty Wives. She also loved birdwatching and enjoyed being a part of the Lucas County Conservation Birders at Pin Oak Lodge. She and Harlan volunteered for many hours at Pin Oak, and she enjoyed spending time with her favorite Pin Oak employees, Jodi and Skylar. She also enjoyed serving as a 4-H leader. There were many things Delores' family will remember about her. She loved the color pink, and she was especially fond of pink roses, wildflowers, Hummels, angels, and genealogy. She and Harlan camped at the Iowa State Fair for decades. Delores and Harlan also camped all over the country to attend church and teacher conventions. Delores became a big Iowa State fan, especially enjoying women's basketball. She loved challenges and embraced technology even in her 90's. She had an iPad and was active on the Ranshaw family group-chat on Snapchat. Delores loved home-cooked meals and was known for introducing many to the art of fondue. She loved chocolate, especially turtles from Piper's Candy and Hershey's Nuggets. She loved to play Flinch and Rack-O on New Year's Eve. Delores' greatest joy was spending time with her family. She and Harlan thoroughly enjoyed having their grandsons, Rich and Cary, stay with them for a week each summer. They traveled extensively to support their grandchildren and great-grandchildren in their activities. More recently, Delores would call her great-grandson, Dexter, her "big strong boy." During the past two and a half years, Delores has lived with her daughter, Sheryl, and son-in-law, Chuck, at their home in West Des Moines. Delores called her pink room the best bed and breakfast. Chuck called her his "roomie" and would spoil her with Steak and Shake milkshakes and caffeine-free Diet Coke, and Sheryl lovingly and patiently catered to her unique diet. Delores also got to enjoy outings with Karen to see her great-grandchildren and get lots of pie and ice cream. Delores enjoyed camping and traveling, even towards the end of her life when Sheryl and Karen helped her purchase a motorhome. Sheryl took Delores on many adventures, including beautiful areas in Iowa and Texas. They also traveled to an Illinois forest to see the 2024 solar eclipse. Karen joined them for several trips, including two trips to Pennsylvania. Delores' son-in-laws, Dan and Chuck, also served as travel companions when her granddaughter, Elizabeth, got married in Pennsylvania in 2023. Delores also loved camping with her family at their annual "Brickerfest" family reunion. Delores passed away on June 29, 2025, in West Des Moines, under the care of an amazing team from Unity Point Hospice. Delores is survived by her two daughters, Sheryl (Chuck) Reed of West Des Moines, and Karen (Dan) Adams of Oskaloosa; granddaughters, Megan (Dalton) Royer of Ames, Elizabeth (Tamal) Reed of Lancaster, PA, Rachel (Matt) Strong of Cedar Falls and Ellen (fiancé, Troy) Reed of Woodbury, MN; great grandchildren, Mia Royer, Dexter Strong and Ronin Strong. She is also survived by her sister Linda Kellar of Lake Elmo, MN and her brother, Marlin (Ann) Bricker of Juneau, AK, and many generations of nieces and nephews. Delores is also survived by her step-daughter, Linda (Ron) Brown of Washington, IA; two step-grandsons, Richard Brown from San Diego, CA and Cary (Dawn) Brown of Brighton; three step-grandchildren, Daegan, Dalton, and Danica Brown; and her honorary German granddaughter, Hannah Porsch. Delores was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Harlan, her parents, her sister, Shirley, and her step-great-granddaughter, Paula. 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