Elizabeth Dunbar

Elizabeth (Randy) Collins Dunbar, of Cedar Falls, died Saturday, May 26, 2012 at Sartori Hospital. Born May 2, 1927, in Marshalltown, Iowa, she was the elder child of Lloyd and Berneda (Kitts) Collins. She attended schools in Reinbeck, Iowa and Los Angeles, California, before graduating from Cedar Falls High School. She attended Iowa State University where she was a charter member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She was graduated from Iowa State Teachers College, where she later completed post-graduate course work in psychology. Elizabeth began her professional career in Fort Dodge where she taught Home Economics at Fort Dodge High School. On February 26, 1949 she married James Casey Dunbar of Cedar Falls in Iowa City, Iowa. The couple lived in Sioux City, Iowa before moving to Waterloo, Iowa where James opened his law practice and Elizabeth taught at East High School. In 1955, the couple settled in Cedar Falls where Elizabeth resided until her death. During the presidential election of 1952, Elizabeth began a life-long enthusiasm for politics and the Democratic Party. In 1956, while serving as president of the Black Hawk County Democratic Women's Club, she was elected Third District Committee-woman to the Democratic State Central Committee, a position she held until 1966. As a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, she cast her vote for candidate Senator John F. Kennedy. She was again a delegate to the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City where she was a member of the credentials committee which resolved the issue of two competing delegations from Mississippi. She was one of nine electors who cast the State of Iowa's official votes for President Johnson in the Electoral College that same year. She was later appointed to head the On the Job Training Program in eastern Iowa. Elizabeth is survived by sons Patrick of Cedar Falls, Michael (Carol) of Cedar Falls, Timothy (Mary Boes) of Iowa City, daughters Sarah (Sue Vargo) of Cambridge, Massachusetts and Bridget (John Stortz) of Waterloo; her brother Larry Collins of Melbourne, Florida; two nieces and eight grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband and three sons, David, Matthew, and Daniel. Visitation will be held at the Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof funeral home, 1825 West 12th Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa on Monday, May 28, 2012 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and again one hour before services, which will be held Tuesday, May 29, 2012 beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be after services at the Greenwood Cemetery in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Condolences may be left at www.DahlFuneralHome.com.