RANTANEN, Dorothy E. May 12, 2020 of East Aurora, NY. Beloved wife of the late Kenneth. Dearest mother of Walter II and Sigrid Rantanen and the late Nancy (Alfred) McClymonds. Cherished grandmother of James (Tonya) McClymonds and great-grandmother of Jana. Her Parents Franklin and Katherine(Keller) Dillenbeck preceded her in death. Dear sister of the late Franklin Jr.,William (late Eleanor) and Victoria Dillenbeck. Private services will be held. Online condolences may be shared at www.woodfh.com
Dorothy Elizabeth Dillenbeck was the first born child of Franklin and Katherine Dillenbeck.
She was born at her grandmother's house in St Johnsville NY and grew up on a dairy farm in the town of Fairfield (Herkimer County). Most of her life she was known to everyone as Betty. She graduated from the West Canada Valley Central High school and attended Cazanovia College and Buffalo State Teachers Collage.
She married Kenneth W Rantanen on June 19,1943 in Buffalo New York. Shortly afterward Kenneth was drafted and served a couple years in the U.S. Army including several months in France and Germany. She worked for General Milling, Crucible Steel, and National Analine Chemical Company before starting a family. As a home maker she had 3 children; Nancy born 1951,Walter born 1955, Sigrid born 1960 and after moving to East Aurora in 1963 was involved in Home Bureau and sewed dresses for herself and daughters and helped out with the children's paper routes. Later she helped her elderly parents and aunt in there later years. She was a lifetime member of the National Grange. Betty especially enjoyed visits from the Farbers Garcia's and other relatives. The family regularly visited her parents in the Mohawk Valley and
other areas of New York State. Other trips to visit were to Chicago, Detroit, Port Huron along with road trips with her family and her husbands brother Walter which included parts of Canada, New England, Washington DC and the 1964 Worlds Fair in New York city.
Her husband Kenneth retired after 54 years at Allied Signal. Kenneth had a large vegetable garden in the back yard so she did significant canning during the season. Betty was a relatively good cook and did a wide veriety of dishes along with some passed down family recipes. She also enjoyed going to the Dillenbeck family reunion over many years and talking with the various relatives. She also took care of her husband after he had developed dementia and he passed away in 1999. During this time she started using her first name Dorothy for legal purposes. She was able to stay in her home until a few months before her 97th birthday.
Dorothy Elizabeth Rantanen was born when Warren Harding was president and Calvin Coolidge was president when she first started school. So she has seen 17 presidents in her lifetime. Her ancestors on her father's side date back to 1710 in New York with service to the British in Queen Anne's War and later for the Patriot cause during the American revolution.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18