Dorothy Nell (Ransom) Tooley, 91, formerly of Milan, IL passed away on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at Overlook Village Memory Care, Moline, IL. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, May 23, 2025 at Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, Rock Island, with visitation to be held one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Rock Island National Cemetery, Arsenal Island. Memorials may be made to the Quad City Animal Welfare Center of Milan or The Alzheimer's Association (alzfdn.org).

Dorothy was born on October 20, 1933 in Fairfield, Nebraska, the daughter of Elijah and Leah (Day) Ransom.  She was the youngest of six children.  At age 7, her mother passed away and she and her older brother, Tom, went to live with her maternal grandparents on their farm, which she often spoke of fondly.  She enjoyed playing baseball with her brother and his friends and became quite the tomboy.  Later, at age 12, her older sisters, Audrey and Florence, moved her in to live with them in Hastings, Nebraska where she attended Junior and Senior High School.  She became a great fast-pitch softball pitcher for the women's high school team, which qualified for the Nebraska State Tournament.  Later, when raising a family, a neighborhood father would hear of mom's past pitching talent and would challenge her to pitch to him in the street.

Dorothy married Ronald 'Wayne' Tooley on February 1, 1954, after he returned from a service in the Army.  They were married 54 years before he passed away on April 12, 2008.  Dorothy and Wayne were blessed with one daughter, Roxanne and three sons, Ricky, Scott and Mark.  She enjoyed watching her boy's baseball games and being a Cub Scout Leader.  She was a homemaker until youngest son entered school and then went to work at Lucille's Pie Shop, which was only 2 blocks from home.  This job allowed her to return home before her children returned from school. Many years later, she took a job in the Milan/Rock Island School district.

Dorothy was a longtime member of 15th Ave Christian Church in Rock Island.  She babysat for her grandchildren as often as possible and enjoyed attending many of their school and sporting activities.   In later years, she enjoyed traveling to her grand-daughters club and college volleyball games supporting Northwestern University and Washington University of St. Louis.

Dorothy was an exceptional mother to her children and a devoted and loving grandmother and great-grandmother.  She was a wonderful cook, and cooking and baking for her family was a great source of pleasure for her.  Dorothy's homemade ice cream, brownies, cinnamon rolls, potato salad, fried chicken and home-made noodles were family favorites.  She loved playing solitaire and a good card game with the kids.  Her spirituality was very important to her, and she believed in the power of prayer.  She will be remembered most for her love of family and friends.  Her family brought her great joy and happiness.  They were the center of her life, and she was extremely proud of each and every one of them.

Dorothy's journey on Earth may have ended, but the power of her love will live on forever in the hearts of her family and she will be greatly missed.

Dorothy is survived by her four children and their spouses, Roxanne (Paul) Delcourt, Ricky (Vicky) Tooley, Scott (Rebecca) Tooley and Mark (Sandy) Tooley; grandchildren and spouses, Leah (Zoran) Grabovac, Megan (John) Wyffels, Scottie (Jessica) Tooley, Beau (Lesley) Tooley, Anthony (Kasey) Tooley, Brett (Edie) Tooley, Kayla (Kris) Kopp, Eric (Corrine) Swanson, Travis (Abbey) Swanson, and Justin (Erin) Swanson; and 23 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and siblings, Florence, Audrey, Orville, Emerson and Tom.

The family would like to give special thanks to the staff at both Overlook Village in Moline and Compassus Hospice for their wonderful care of Dorothy.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.wheelanpressly.com.