Obituary of Dorothy Ruth Dosier

Dorothy Duerr Dosier died peacefully at home in the early hours of June 21, 2011. She was born Dorothy Ruth Davis in Illinois on August 23, 1921. She was, as she was proud to say, almost 90 years old and held a valid driver's license. Dorothy moved to Santa Cruz from Chicago in 1954 with her husband Ben Duerr and their four daughters Lynne, Carol, Judy and Joanne. They moved into their Pasatiempo home in 1957 where Dorothy grew roses and cacti and tomatoes in the garden that she happily shared with many animals in what she called her wildlife refuge. The deer were not quite as welcome as the squirrels, rabbits and many, many birds, but she nurtured them all and found much pleasure in their presence. Dorothy was proud of her involvement with the charitable organization Omega Nu over the years as well as her work as organizer and chaperone for the Miss California Pageant. After Ben's death in 1973, Dorothy was blessed with happiness in her marriage to Elton Dosier from 1976-1997. They were grateful for the many friends they shared at the Green Valley Christian Center. Dorothy is survived by her four daughters, Lynne's husband David, Joanne's husband Richard, ten grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and her sister Marilyn Leonhart. There will be a service for Dorothy at the Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St, Santa Cruz on Monday, June 27, 2011 at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, please send a contribution to the Omega Nu Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1696, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 or to a charity of your choice.