Dorothy G. Pfenning

Dorothy G. Pfenning

July 2, 1924 – January 6, 2018

Dorothy “Dee” Pfenning, passed away January 6th, 2018 at the age of 93 of advanced age and the complications of Alzheimer’s. She passed peacefully in her own home and bed, shortly after a visit by her youngest son Dale, and with her eldest son Michael at her side. Dorothy will be interred beside her beloved husband Wally in the Forsythia mausoleum at Lincoln Memorial Park, on Mt. Scott in Portland Oregon.

Dorothy was born at home on the Marion farm in Bathgate, Pembina County, North Dakota on July 2, 1924 to Robert and Wanda Werner as the fifth of eleven children (Edward, Helmut, Renata, Ruby, Dorothy, Arthur, Helen, Lloyd, Ervin, Marlene and Allen). She spent her early years on the family farm in Bathgate, North Dakota. At the age of 19 she left home to attend a business school in Grand Forks ND, after which she went to work for C.L. Lind Foot Company as a book keeper with her older sister Renata in East Grand Forks MN. She moved to Woodburn Oregon with her parents in August 1947. After arriving in Oregon, she worked briefly at the Mayflower Milk Company in Portland. Despite being a beautiful and very eligible young woman with several suitors, Dorothy was determined to wait for the “right” man to come along. She met him in the fall of 1954, and she and Wally Pfenning were married on 15 September 1955. Wally and Dorothy initially lived in an apartment, and then moved to their first home in Milwaukie Oregon by 1959. She gave birth to her first-born son Michael Dennis June 1, 1960. Her second-son Dale was born September 2 1961. In 1965 the family moved to Oregon City. Despite the hardship of a long commute for Wally, they moved the family to Sandy Oregon in August 1967 primarily due to their desire to remove their young sons from the negative influences of urban and suburban life during their formative years and to raise them with a more rural set of values. She and Wally would regularly take their sons on camping, fishing and clamming expeditions around Oregon, Washington and British Columbia which endowed both of them with a great love and respect for the outdoors and the wonders of the Pacific Northwest. She took an active role in her son’s early education drilling them at home with flash cards. She probably never grasped the tremendous impact she had shaping the character and values of her sons, but would frequently express her pride in them. After Michael (Dennis) and Dale left home and Wally retired, they moved to Beaver Oregon in June 1980. Seeking a warmer dryer climate, after a couple years of being “snowbirds”, they moved to Yuma Arizona in February 1987. Dorothy was widowed January 19th, 1998 when Wally succumbed to heart disease. In 2004 Dorothy moved to Jacksonville Oregon into her own home and the care of her son Michael (Dennis), his wife Leni and eventually a team of devoted caregivers (Julie, Brenda, Debi, Debbie and Maryanne). She enjoyed watching her grandchildren play sports, long walks, blackberry picking, making jams, crocheting baby blankets for the local hospital, and making meals and treats for her children and grandchildren before the ravages of Alzheimer’s deprived her of these joys. Dorothy developed an exceptionally close bond to her daughter-in-law Leni, to whom she looked upon as a compassionate guardian angel in her latter years. In times of distress, she would light up with joy and relief when Leni arrived to comfort her.

Dorothy was a loving and devoted wife and mother. She was simple, humble, frugal, and selflessly devoted to the wellbeing and happiness of her family, friends and guests. Her family does not recall her ever saying “I want”, and if asked what she wanted she would generally turn it around to ask what she could do. She loved to entertain visitors and was happiest when surrounded by family and friends. She had a feisty sense of humor she would use effectively and often unexpectedly, to disarm and amuse others.

Dorothy was confirmed in the Lutheran church and was privately resolute in her faith. Before losing her ability to read she would spend an hour or two every afternoon of her latter years in a private devotional, reading the bible and praying.

Dorothy is survived by her children; Michael (wife Leni) and Dale, Grandchildren; Alex and Leah and siblings; Helen, Ervin, and Marlene.

While it is a blessing that she is now free of the infirmities of her latter year and is in heaven with her Lord, husband, parents (Robert & Wanda), and siblings (Edward, Helmut, Renata, Ruby, Arthur, Lloyd, and Allen) that preceded her, she is dearly missed by all whose lives she touched and blessed. While we are, left with cherished memories of her, there will be a hole in all of our lives until we are reunited.

Services will be held at Lincoln Memorial Park and Funeral Home 11801 SE MT Scott Blvd., Portland, OR 97086, on Saturday, January 13, 2018.

1:00 PM: Visitation

2:00 PM: Service:

3:00 PM: Interment/commitment:

4:30 PM: Reception (at a nearby location).

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