Dorothy Watzke

The memorial service for Dorothy "Dotty" May Watzke, of Morris, Minnesota will be held on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. at the Federated Church in Morris, with Pastor Lauren Hauger officiating. Visitation will be Saturday one hour prior to services at the church. Burial will be at Summit Cemetery, Morris.

Dorothy May Watzke was born on March 3, 1926, in Kansas City, MO, to parents Jesse and Elizabeth Martin. At about the age of 10 the family relocated to a small town in northeast Iowa called Nashua, the home of the Little Brown Church made famous by a song (The Church in the Wildwood). She attended Nashua schools, graduating in the class of 1944. Upon graduation she moved to Chicago and worked as a secretary for an advertising firm. It was in Chicago where she met her future husband, John (Jack) Watzke who was attending Northern Illinois College of Optometry. They married on July 8, 1947. After Jack's graduation in 1949 they moved to his hometown of Morris, MN, where Jack went into practice along side of his father, Henry. Their six children were born and raised in Morris. After 39 years Jack sold his Morris practice, had a brief retirement, then opened a limited practice in Willmar, MN in 1993. Even after Jack's passing in 2008 Dotty resided in Willmar until returning to Morris in September, 2017.

She was forever active in her churches, Federated in Morris, and First Presbyterian in Willmar, serving as a knitter, quilter, youth leader and a funeral lady. She was a gifted homemaker and a good hostess. She enjoyed a number of hobbies including reading (Morris Library Board), knitting, golfing and volunteering. She enjoyed her cats, from Tinkerbell to Charley.

Dotty died on Monday, September 24, 2018 at the West Wind Village in Morris. She was 92 years old.

She is survived by four sons: Mark (Christine) Watzke, Minneapolis, MN, Paul (Patricia) Watzke, Morris, MN, Matthew (Margaret) Watzke, Cold Spring, MN and Thomas (Melinda) Watzke, Des Moines, IA; two daughters: Elizabeth (Philip) Janson, Ridgewood, NJ, and Margaret (Terence) Breedijk, Dallas, TX; fourteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Dotty was preceded in death by her husband, Jack, her parents, Jess and Betty (Stevens) Martin, an infant son, John Jr., and one sister, Diane Martin.

Pedersen Funeral Home is in charge of the funeral arrangements. An online guest book can be signed at www.pedersenfh.com.