Dorothy Jean Locken

About Dorothy

Dorothy Jean Locken was born in Bemidji, Minnesota on May 17, 1933 to Mildred and Rudy Locken and grew up with her two sisters on the family farm in Saum, Minnesota. She passed away on November 15, 2023, at Cornerstone Residence in Kelliher, Minnesota.

Dorothy attended Firman community’s one room schoolhouse for three years. After the closure of that school she attended school in Kelliher graduating in 1951. As the eldest of three girls, Dorothy did a lot of chores around the farm, from taking care of animals to driving a tractor to help with haying. Playing baseball with the neighboring kids in the evening was the highlight of her day.

After graduating high school, Dorothy worked as a typesetter at the Kelliher Independent print shop for two years. In 1953, she moved to Denver, Colorado where she worked in a print shop and lived with friends from high school for nine months. In 1956, she moved to Oakland, California, where she worked for Montgomery Ward and lived with her sister, Irene, and friends from home. Enjoying the scenery, they traveled all over California, usually camping out in a tent. They celebrated Dorothy’s 30th birthday touring Hawaii in a rented jeep.

As a hard-working, trusted employee, Montgomery Ward offered Dorothy a job as a bookkeeping trainer for their catalog stores in the upper Midwest and would provide her training for the work. Dorothy happily accepted the offer and for many years starting in June 1963 she lived at home on the farm and traveled to Wards catalog stores in North and South Dakota, Montana, Wisconsin, and Iowa as well as Minnesota, making many friends at the stores she visited. To pass the time while staying in motel rooms overnight, she practiced her hobby of wood carving. Her specialties were loons and ducks (signed Ducks by Dorothy). Family and friends cherish her gifts of the finely detailed carvings. While at home she enjoyed doing scroll sawing projects. She retired from Wards in January1986.

Dorothy was a member of Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Kelliher. She was also a member of the North Beltrami Heritage Center in Kelliher where she did volunteer work compiling local obituaries and preparing historic photos for display in the Center. She also volunteered at the Beltrami County History Center in Bemidji.

Dorothy is survived by sisters Irene Munsinger and Carol Anders (Bill); uncle Bob Gunderson (Joan); nephews Jeff Munsinger (Jay), Russ Munsinger (Karen), Bill Anders Jr. (Joanne); niece Charlene Rapp (Paul); grand nieces and nephews Cody, Jadie, Lydia, Ethne, Sofie, Josiah and William.

The family would like to thank Hospice and the staff at the Cornerstone Residence for the compassionate care they provided Dorothy.

memorial service

Private Family Services will be held at a later date.

Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery in Kelliher, MN.

Funeral/Cremation Provider: Cease Family Funeral Home