Longtime weather contributor dies

MORAINE, Ohio (WDTN) - Every night our weathercheckers give us temperature or rainfall reports but that's not all.  Dorothy Niebes would never miss a weather report from her Fairborn home.   She called in almost every day - twice a day.  But she was so much more than just a weatherchecker.    

It's difficult to pile 89 years worth of memories into a box.  But while going through a few of the items I learned a little more about the woman I talked to every night.  William Niebes, Dorothy's youngest of three sons, has mugs, a clipboard and so many photos from his mother's two decades of being a weather checker. 

Before coming to Dayton,  Dorothy grew up in Iowa and married her high school sweat heart Oscar in 1945.
She loved music, especially the piano.   

Wiliam Niebes Dorothy's son says, "While she was in college she was an accompanist for other soloists and it was something she took an interest in b/c not many pianists would perform as an accompanist."

She was an active member in her music fraternity Mu Phi Epsilon during college and all of her adult life.   She received an invitation for membership in 1943 and was an active alum and even chartered the Dayton Alumni Chapter in 1958.  Because of her dedication to the group she won a distinguished alumni award in 2003. 

Dorothy was also interested in weather, and even looked into becoming a meteorologist.  William remembers, "When she looked at the course load she needed to take to be a meteorologist she saw physics and math she said I'm going to go into economics."

In 1988, Dorothy got her chance to explore her first passion.  Channel two asked for volunteers to take weather reports.     Dorothy jumped at the chance to help Carl Nichols.

Carl Nichols, Retired Meteorologist, says "Dorothy was one of the first ones.  She was dedicated she would call everyday call early and call late and we would always have a conversation.  She told me what her kids were doing she asked about my family how we were doing."

Channel two became her extended family and soon we all realized how important we were to her.   Every holiday and birthday a card would appear in our mailboxes. 

"Her interest in cards springs from her generations use of hand written notes and cards were an extension of that sentiment," her son recalls. 

A sentiment from a woman who didn't want any spotlight but just happened to love helping others.

I never had the opportunity to meet Dorothy in person.  But for two years we spoke on the phone and often times our conversations had nothing to do with the weather.  I will miss her laugh, determination and of course opening the cards she sent.  She will always be a part of the Channel 2 family.