Candi Tepke, and son, Peter, survive her along with four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She was born, Dorothy Irene Lundstrom, on October 4th, 1923, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the third daughter of second-generation Swedish immigrants. She attended Minnehaha Academy, North Park Junior College and the University of Minnesota, studying for a career as a speech therapist. She married Wayne Balch on July 20, 1946. Wayne served as a college professor and Chairman of the music department at Seattle Pacific University from 1966 until 1985 and predeceased Dorothy on August 12, 2003. Dorothy was a speech therapist in the Highline School District and retired in 1985.
Both Dorothy and Wayne were devoted supporters of SPU. She was also a talented pianist, poet, entertainer and family comedienne. She was a life-long member of the Evangelical Covenant Church, a long-term member of the First Free Methodist Church in Seattle and active in various charitable and educational organizations, among them Seattle’s Nightwatch Ministry. She traveled extensively. She will be remembered for her charity, hospitality and humor, her flawless memory of people she met over her nine decades, her ever-constant Christian faith, and her devotion to family and friends around the world. May she Rest in Peace.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, October 1, 2021, at 1:00 pm, at the First Free Methodist Church, 3200 3rd Avenue West, Seattle, Washington 98119. Interment will be private.
Memorial gifts may be directed to First Free Methodist Church or Seattle Pacific University to the Wayne Harwood and Dorothy Lundstrom Balch Scholarship Endowment Fund, 3307 3rd Avenue West, Suite 304, Seattle, WA 98119
All are welcome to sign the online guestbook below and add any messages or stories for the Balch family.
