Dorothy F. Willis

ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA - Dorothy (Friedman) Willis died at the age of 86 on Friday, April 9, 2010 in Rochester, Minnesota, two weeks after having suffered a stroke. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 4 p.m. at the Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home in Rochester, MN with the Reverend Dr. Carol Hepokoski officiating. Dorothy Esther Friedman was born December 9, 1923 in Chillicothe, Ohio to Mortimer and Ruth (Schachne) Friedman. She attended Chillicothe High School before graduating from University School in Columbus in 1941 and the Ohio State University in 1945. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Romance Languages and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honorary society. She also studied at Middlebury College in Vermont. After college she worked briefly as a librarian in Chillicothe before moving to New York City. There she gave tours in French, Spanish, and English at the Rockefeller Center, and was employed in an import-export firm. In 1955 she moved to Dayton, Ohio, where she worked at WHIO-TV and as a librarian for the Monsanto Company. She met John W. Willis, Jr., a WWII veteran and career U.S. Air Force officer, and they were married in 1957. Dorothy and John had three children. Between 1968 and 1972 the family lived in the Netherlands and traveled extensively throughout Europe before returning to settle in Centerville, Ohio. Following her husband's death in 1996 she moved to Rochester in 2006 and was lovingly taken care of during her final years by her daughter Joan and daughter-in-law Julie (Timm) Willis. She was active as a Girl Scouts leader, and in the American Association of University Women and Officers Wives Club. She painted and wrote poetry, enjoyed the symphony and travelogues, and was an ardent fan of Ohio State football.She is survived by her children John (Julie) Willis and Joan Willis of Rochester and Mark Willis of Kensington, Maryland, as well as brothers Herbert (Bettie) and Donald (Jane) Friedman of Chillicothe and Circleville, Ohio. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband John, and older brother Kenneth Friedman.Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes5421 Royal Place NW, Rochester, MN.(507) 289-3600 www.ranfranzandvinefh.com