Obituary of Dorothy Rose Gammelgard

Services will be on Friday in Santa Cruz for Dorothy Gammelgard who passed away at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz on January 23, 2012. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was 80 years old. She attended schools in New York, and worked for the New York State Police. Dorothy moved to Aptos 21 years ago, where she met her late husband, Jim. She was a devoted parishioner of Resurrection Catholic Church in Aptos and served on the church's Women's Guild. Dorothy also happily participated in the "Birthday Club" helping seniors celebrate their special days. Dorothy will most be remembered as a loving grandmother. Her family will forever cherish the special times she would spend with them, and the joy she experienced in watching her grandchildren grow. She is survived by her daughter and son in-law, Karen and Jim Zahiralis of Meridian, Idaho, her sister, Marie Kehl of Great River, New York, her beloved grandchildren: Elizabeth, Emily, Erin, and Elaine and her good friend Mike Del Rossario. A Catholic Blessing Ceremony will be on Friday, January 27, 2012 at Benito and Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel beginning at 2 p.m. Friends may pay their respects at a viewing on Friday from 10 a.m. until service time. Burial will follow at 3 p.m. at Oakwood Cemetery, beside her late husband James Gammelgard who died in 2001. The family asks that any kind acts of charity be made in her name to the American Lung Association ( www.lungusa.org).