(Photo)

Kimberly Sue Dobson, 57, of Arlington, NE, passed away Monday, July 25, 2016, at the Josie Harper Hospice House in Omaha, NE. Kimberly was born July 1, 1959 in Omaha, NE, to Allan and Marlene (Maxwell) Johnson.

She was raised in Omaha and graduated from Westside High School in 1977. On December 6, 1979, Kimberly married Tim Dobson at St. Pius Church in Omaha. The family moved from Omaha to Arlington in 1991.

Kimberly was employed as an administrative assistant at Arlington Public School. She was very active in the Arlington school system as a senior class sponsor for 5 years, a dance sponsor for 8 years, and community engagement sponsor for 10 years. Kimberly was an active member of the Arlington Community Church and served on various church boards. She was the head of the Fall Festival for 2 years. Kimberly was involved in many fundraisers in Arlington and the Relay for Life. Her passion in life was spending time with her children and grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband, Tim of Arlington; 3 sons, T.J. (Ashley) Dobson and Ben Dobson of Arlington, and Michael (Marilyn)Dobson of Bennington, NE; 2 daughters, Holly Dobson and Jaymie (Joe) Kunes all of Arlington; mother, Marlene Johnson of Omaha; brother, David (Merry) Johnson of Omaha; sister, Stacey (Jay) Colabello of Edmond, Oklahoma; 3 grandchildren, Kingston and Henley Kunes, and Macyn Dobson.

She was preceded in death by her father, Allan Johnson; and grandparents, Alice and Anders Johnson, and George and Pearl Maxwell.

The funeral service will be 1:00 PM, Thursday, July 28, 2016, at Arlington Community Church in Arlington, NE. The Rev. Penny Greer will officiate. Closed casket visitation will be from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM, Wednesday at the Arlington Community Church with family receiving friends from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Visitation will continue Thursday one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at the Arlington Cemetery in Arlington.

Memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society.

Online condolences may be left at www.mosermemorialchapels.com

Feature Article by Leeann Ellis 27 July 2016; Published in The Enterprise 29 July 2016

(Various Photos in Article)

Kim Dobson was the “face and the voice” for Arlington Public Schools.

As the Arlington High School secretary, Dobson was the first person to greet students, staff and visitors — often with a smile — as they entered the building. But when students and staff return to classes next month, that familiar face will be missing.

Dobson, 57, died Monday after a second battle with breast cancer. She had served as the AHS secretary since 2005. Dobson also served as the facility coordinator, the AHS dance team sponsor for several years and the senior class sponsor.

“A job description doesn’t begin to define or capture what Kim did for this district and certainly not who she was,” Supt. Lynn Johnson said. “Kim had this huge and compassionate heart and it was evident in how she treated people and in the relationships that she cultivated with others.”

To those around her, Dobson's ability to care, nurture and comfort was a testament to who she was.

“She was so caring and compassionate and genuinely loved other people,” Johnson said as she wiped away tears. “She just had the ability and the gift to show that and provide that.”

Dobson didn't limit her compassion to just those at the school.

“She's more than just a part of the school. She was oftentimes like the center of the community,” former assistant principal Brent Cudly said. “She was there for people whether it related to school or not.”

Cudly, who now works for Fremont Public Schools, said community members would call Dobson at the school if they had a need. They knew Dobson would be there for them, he said.

“She was everybody's mom,” said Louisville Public Schools Supt. Andrew Farber, who served as AHS principal from 2009 to 2015. “She just took care of everything and everybody.”

Students could often be found in the high school office talking to Dobson in between their classes.

“The droves of kids that would come in and see her and talk to her — I can't tell you how many lives I think she changed,” Farber said. “For Kim, it was always for the better.”

Johnson agreed.

“Every single one of these kids mean so much to her, and she had such a huge impact on every kid in the district,” Johnson said.

As senior class sponsor, graduation n was special to Dobson, Johnson said.

Dobson could be found at the doorway of the gym — sometimes in tears — waiting to congratulate each student with a hug.

“It was meaningful for her,” Johnson said. “It was her opportunity to say goodbye (and tell them) don't be a stranger.”

Dobson served as the dance team sponsor from 2005 until 2012. The team won four state championships under her guidance.

“She was very picky about the small details of our dances, but we wouldn't have been the dance team we were without those small details,” said Madison Bastian, a 2013 AHS graduate who was a junior captain of the last team Dobson coached.

“She always wanted us to strive to be our best,” said 2011 graduate Molly Miller, who served as a captain of the team as a junior and as a senior.

“She also had a lot of fun with (the team),” Miller said. “She wanted to make sure we didn't take ourselves too seriously.”

During dance camps, Dobson could often be found with a camera in her hand, snapping photos of the students preparing for their day, Bastian said.

Those photos she would later use to create scrapbook pages for each dance team member, Miller said.

“She would always find the worst possible picture to put in the center of those pages just to be funny,” she said.

But Dobson rarely had her photo taken.

“I can't find a picture of Kim and I together because she was always behind the camera for us,” Bastian said.

In many ways, Dobson was a second mother to the dance team, Miller said.

“She filled our time there with so much life,” she said. “I wouldn't have wanted my four years on the team to be any other way, and I'm sure we all feel that way.”

To her coworkers, Dobson was a friend.

“She was just an absolute joy to work with and be around,” Farber said. “Between her and I, we just had so much fun. For me, Kim was one of the reasons I enjoyed working at Arlington so much. She was always quick with a good morning and a smile.”

“She was a true friend,” Johnson said. “How fortunate we are to work with one of your best friends every day. That's a blessing.”

Teacher Scott Parson made it his daily ritual to stop in Dobson's “office” to greet her in the morning.

“That's something that will be tough because it's not the high school office — it's always just been Kim's office,” he said. “It's going to be a difficult start to the school year.”

Parson and Dobson would often joke together. He recalled one such moment.

“About five or six years ago, Kim had a great idea about something,” he said. “We couldn't remember what the idea was. But on that day — Oct. 7 — we declared it “Kim's Idea Day.”

Every Oct. 7 since, Parson would wish Dobson “Happy Kim's Idea Day.”

“We'd just laugh because we never could remember what the idea was,” he said.

Dobson could find the humor in any situation, her coworkers noted.

“We had a ton of laughs,” Farber said. “I don't think there was a day that didn't go by that we didn't laugh about something or tell a joke.”

Dobson could also be a bit of a prankster.

“Kim and I were always in cahoots about something,” said Shelly Miller, AHS guidance secretary.

Cudly was a target of some of those pranks.

“They did a lot of stuff to my office,” he said. “If you were gone for a day at a conference, you knew you were in trouble.”

One week, they took advantage of his absence.

“Kim and I decided we would go in and turn his office into a crime scene and we taped (the outline of a) body on the floor,” Miller laughed.

Dobson's faith and her family were also important to her, teacher Shawna Koger said.

“She was always so willing and would volunteer to help with Christian education and the youth,” Koger said.

Dobson taught Sunday school classes at Arlington Community Church. She also served on various church boards and was head of the church's annual Fall Festival for two years.

“She was always willing to help in whatever way,” Koger said. “I know lots of times she volunteered her kids for things and they were always great sports about it.”

Koger said Dobson's family meant everything to her.

“She was very proud of her kids and what they had become, and she was extremely proud of her grandkids,” Koger said. “She would have done anything for her family.”

Dobson is survived by her husband, Tim, of Arlington; sons, T.J. (Ashley) Dobson and Ben Dobson, of Arlington, and Michael (Marilyn) Dobson, of Bennington; daughters, Holly Dobson and Jaymie (Joe) Kunes, all of Arlington; mother, Marlene Johnson, of Omaha; brother, David (Merry) Johnson, of Omaha; sister, Stacey (Jay) Colabello, of Edmond, Okla.; and grandchildren, Kingston and Henley Kunes and Macy Dobson.

The funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Arlington Community Church.

Omaha World Herald 27 July 2016

(Photo)

Dobson, Kimberly Sue Age 57 Of Arlington, NE. Passed away Monday, July 25, 2016, at the Josie Harper Hospice House in Omaha, NE. Kimberly was born July 1, 1959 in Omaha, to Allan and Marlene (Maxwell) Johnson. She was raised in Omaha and graduated from Westside High School in 1977. On December 6, 1979, Kimberly married Tim Dobson at St. Pius Church in Omaha. The family moved from Omaha to Arlington in 1991. Kimberly was employed as an administrative assistant at Arlington Public School. She was very active in the Arlington school system as a senior class sponsor for 5 years, a dance sponsor for 8 years, and community engagement sponsor for 10 years. Kimberly was an active member of the Arlington Community Church and served on various church boards. She was the head of the Fall Festival for 2 years. Kimberly was involved in many fundraisers in Arlington and the Relay for Life. Her passion in life was spending time with her children and grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, Tim of Arlington; 3 sons, T.J. (Ashley) Dobson and Ben Dobson of Arlington,and Michael (Marilyn) Dobson of Bennington, NE; 2 daughters, Holly Dobson and Jaymie (Joe) Kunes all of Arlington; mother, Marlene Johnson of Omaha; brother, David (Merry) Johnson of Omaha; sister, Stacey (Jay) Colabello of Edmond, OK; 3 grandchildren, Kingston and Henley Kunes, and Macyn Dobson. She was preceded in death by her father, Allan Johnson; and grandparents, Alice and Anders Johnson, and George and Pearl Maxwell. The FUNERAL SERVICE will be 1pm Thursday, July 28, 2016, at Arlington Community Church in Arlington, NE. The Rev. Penny Greer will officiate. Closed casket VISITATION will be from 4-8pm Wednesday at the Arlington Community Church with family receiving friends from 6-8pm. VISITATION will continue Thursday one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at the Arlington Cemetery in Arlington. Memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society. Online condolences may be left at www.mosermemorialchapels.com Reckmeyer - Moser Funeral Home 232 W Eagle St, Arlington, NE 68002 402-721-4490

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~