Dorothy E. Wilhelm, 100, of LaPorte, Indiana, passed away Thursday, July 13, 2017.
Dorothy was born September 21, 1916, in Madison, South Dakota, to Morton and Morna (Cooley) Gardner.
Dorothy was a homemaker. She also was a nurse’s aide at Stites Nursing, she volunteered at LaPorte Hospital where she was honored for 500 hours as a pink lady, she assisted weekly devotions at Countryside and Fountainview nursing facilities as a pianist, and she was an active volunteer for the Salvation Army.
On August 29, 1936, Dorothy married Earl L. Wilhelm, who preceded her in death on November 15, 1989.
She was also preceded in death by her parents; a son, David Wilhelm; a granddaughter, Felicia Wilhelm; two brothers, Harold and Eugene Gardner; and a sister, Laurene Perry.
Dorothy leaves behind three daughters, Carol (Frederick) Heiden of LaPorte, Kathleen Larson of LaPorte and Janice Wilhelm-Davis of San Diego, California; grandchildren, Judy (William) Anderson, Christopher Davis, Stephen (Jennifer) Larson, Elaine (Nicholas) Lindquist, Deborah Lovvorn, Andrea (Stephen) Martin, and Gary Wilhelm; nine great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Alice Meek of North Carolina; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Gardner of Michigan City, Indiana, and several nephews and nieces.
Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 18, at Frank L. Keszei Funeral Home, Essling Chapel, LaPorte. A funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. Tuesday with Pastor Larry Owen officiating. Burial will follow in Springville Cemetery, LaPorte.
Memorial contributions may be made to the donor’s choice in Dorothy’s name.
Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP as well as at www.esslingfuneralhome.com.