Dorothy Carol (Porter) Mead

Beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, Dorothy Carol Porter Mead went home to be with her Lord and Savior on October 21, 2025 at the age of 82.

Dorothy was born on January 21, 1943, in Oto, Iowa, to Leo and Zola Porter. She was the youngest of eight children, growing up in a home full of love, laughter, and faith, and graduating from Smithland High School in 1961.

On December 23, 1962, she married Larry Mead who would be her husband over 60 years until his death in November 2023. Shortly after marrying, she embraced what would become her greatest joy - devoting her life to being a mother and, later, a grandmother. She built a big, beautiful family - beginning with her son Robert and later welcoming through adoption nine more children: Robin, Rachel, Randy, Isaiah, Carrie, Monica, Isaac, Gabriel, and Glory.

In addition to raising her own children, Dorothy opened her heart and home to hundreds of foster children over more than two decades. She devoted herself to the challenging, compassionate work of caring for children during difficult and often painful times - offering them love, stability, and a safe place to heal.

Life in a large family was lively and messy but always full of love. Her dedication to her children never wavered. She celebrated every birthday, every holiday, and every small moment with genuine joy. Christmas was her favorite time of year - her home overflowed with the magic of her elaborate Christmas village and more trees than anyone could count.

Dorothy was creative and she showed that creativity in many ways over the years – sewing, crocheting, fabric painting, beaded Christmas ornaments and decorating her house. She was an excellent seamstress and over the years could be counted on to make outfits for her kids and costumes for the Little Stars. She had a wonderful eye for antiques and a deep passion for genealogy and scrapbooking. Her family still laughs as they recall the thousands of photos she took - family, friends, pets, vacations, and every moment in between. While preparing her home for sale, her children found themselves laughing through tears as they discovered just how thorough Dorothy had been in preserving family history. From school papers long forgotten to name tags from first jobs, nothing escaped her careful hands. She couldn’t part with a single memory - or a single piece of paper attached to one. If it had a name, a date, or even a smudge of sentiment, it made the cut. Dorothy had a scrapbook (or a hundred) for everything: her immediate family, her extended family, her genealogy “family,” and probably a few for people who just smiled at her once. If there was a person or a moment, there was most certainly a scrapbook. Her lifelong genealogy work now lives at the Iowa Genealogical Society in Des Moines, where her devotion to preserving family history will continue to inspire others.

She also loved to travel and explore – family camping trips, attending family reunions and the opportunity to take an Alaskan cruise and, visiting Germany with dear friends, or simply photographing the beauty around her. Wherever she went, Dorothy brought warmth, curiosity, and gratitude.

More than anything, Dorothy will be remembered for her unwavering faith in Jesus Christ. She was an active member of Cornerstone World Outreach for over 40 years, where her faith grew stronger through both life’s blessings and its trials. Dorothy is now free from the struggles of dementia and fully healed in the presence of her Savior - rejoicing in Heaven, whole and radiant, surrounded by everlasting love.

She is survived by her brother John (Mary) of Sioux City, Iowa; her sister Elda of Portland, Oregon; five sons—Robert (Faye), Randy (Heaven), Isaiah (Tiffany), Isaac, and Gabriel (Jaimee); five daughters—Robin, Rachel (John), Carrie (Patrick), Monica, and Glory (Justin); 19 grandchildren—Ray, Kass, Kristy, Karter, Kyrena, Korey, Kolton, Thaddeus, Lael, Maleah, Marlie, Olivia, Rocco, Amelia, Roman, Mathias, Elias, Ariah, and Leilani; and many great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Larry; her parents Leo and Zola Porter; and her siblings Leslie, Bill, Marvin, Lila, and Zoe.

The family wishes to extend special thanks and prayers for Dorothy’s daughter Carrie, whose unwavering care and compassion for her parents in their later years was a beautiful reflection of Christ’s love.

A celebration of Dorothy’s life will be held on Saturday November 15, 2025 at Cornerstone World Outreach - 1603 Glen Ellen Rd. Sioux City, IA 51106 at 11:00 a.m. with lunch reception immediately following in the Connect Building. Her family invites all who knew and loved her to join in honoring a woman whose faith, strength, humor, and steadfast love will continue to shine through the generations she nurtured.