Dorothy L Wilson

(May 28, 1920 – July 20, 2017)

Dorothy passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones on July 20th, 2017. She was born in McGregor Minnesota on May 28th, 1920. Her parents were George and Esther Engman. She had two siblings, a brother Harold and a sister Arlene. The family soon moved to Washington State where her younger sister Ruth was born. Their father worked in the apple orchards around Selah, Washington for a few years. After that, they moved to Iowa to a town called Swede Bend which fit in with their Swedish heritage. Dorothy started school there in a one room school house. Her father worked as a farmer on the land they lived on.

Dorothy hated housework, but loved to work in the fields with her father. On one of these farms Ruth and Dorothy decided to climb up on the roof of an old shed only to be too scared to climb down. They called for their mother to come and help them, but their father heard them instead. He ran up from plowing the fields and was not pleased when he saw their predicament. He told them if they could climb up on their own, they could climb down on their own which they carefully proceeded to do. Ruth said she was hoping one of them would break a leg so their father would be sorry for what he said.

They attended a Swedish Church that played as big part in their young lives. The family eventually moved to Orangevale, California when Dorothy was fifteen where she attended San Juan High School. The family soon bought their first house on Oak Ave. This was also when they started attending services at the Orangevale Methodist Church on Central Ave.

Dorothy soon graduated from high school, met and married Elwin Owen. They had three children, Linda, Jerry and Kenny. Elwin joined the Navy and went off to fight in WWII. His ship was the USS Franklin and it was hit by enemy fire and Elwin was one of the casualties. Now widowed with three children, her parents soon converted the basement of the Oak Ave. house into an apartment for Dorothy and her children to live.

She later met and married Goy “Jack” Wilson and they purchased a home on Filbert Ave. Soon Dorothy had two more children, Charles and Doug.

Dorothy was always deeply involved in the Methodist Church, be it teaching Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, the church choir, the “Circle” woman’s group or collecting, counting and banking the church offerings from Sunday service.

As stated earlier, she preferred working outside in the yard and would tend to her yard until she was 96. She took great pride in the way it looked and it showed. In her late 80’s to early 90’s she helped baby sit four of her great grandchildren which she enjoyed with great enthusiasm. Often getting on the floor and rolling around with them or making race cars out of big empty boxes and even going to the local zoo and riding the train. Her children and grandchildren were her biggest reward and one she thoroughly enjoyed.

She was preceded in death by her parents George and Esther Engman, her sister Arlene Dalton, her brother Harold Engman, husbands Elwin Owen and Goy “Jack” Wilson, daughter Linda Marmaduke and sons Jerry and Kenny Owen.

She is survived by her sister Ruth Gregory, sons Charles and Doug Wilson, 14 grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren and 3 great, great grandchildren. Her daughters-in-law Kathy Wilson, Marty Owen, Debbie Owen, Karen Valentine and Maria Maggi and son-in-law Rufus Marmaduke.

There will be a private graveside service for family only at Mount Vernon Mortuary, 8201 Greenback Lane, Orangevale, CA on Monday, August 7th, at 10:00 a.m. A memorial service will follow at Pathway Fellowship, 8525 Madison Ave., Suite 130, Fair Oaks, Ca. at 11:00 a.m. There will be a lunch reception following.

In lieu of flowers the family would prefer donations be sent to the American Cancer Society.

To donate to the American Cancer Society by phone, call 1-800-227-2345.

Or, simply follow the link: https://www.cancer.org/involved/donate/donate-by-mail-or-phone.html