Dorothy Addington, formerly of Austin, Minnesota, died February 8, 2007,
in Edina, Minnesota, at the age of 93.
Dorothy Evelyn Lufi was born April 2, 1913 in Bush Valley, Minnesota, the
only child of Christian and Clara (Senn) Lufi. Dorothy attended a one-room
country school in Bush Valley through the sixth grade and graduated from
high school in Houston, Minnesota when she was 16. Subsequently, Dorothy
attended Winona State Teachers College.
In 1930, Dorothy married Milton C. Addington of Winona, Minnesota, where
Milton worked for the telephone company. In 1931 their first child, Charlotte,
was born. In 1936 twin sons, Laurence and Leonard, were born. In 1940, Milton
was transferred to Austin, where the family made their home.
In 1957, Dorothy and Milton purchased the Casedy Value Store and renamed
the business "Dorothy's Fabrics." Dorothy sold the business in 1978 and
retired.
During her years as a business woman, Dorothy was active in the Austin
community. She was a member of Zonta, for which she chaired several
committees, served as a board member and as Vice President, and for over
thirty years was the leading force behind Zonta's sponsorship of many
successful style shows. She also served on the Community Services Advisory
Board, was a member of the Downtown Retail Association and of SCORE, and
received the 4-H award for her activities with 4-H girls.
In Austin, Dorothy and Milton were members of the First Baptist Church
until the 1960's, when they became members of Grace Baptist Church. At Grace
Baptist, Dorothy served as Missionary treasurer and also served for many
years in the church library. Dorothy's faith sustained her throughout her
life.
In March 1999, Dorothy moved from Austin to WestRidge Community Center in
Minnetonka to be nearer to her son, Leonard, and his family. In 2005 Dorothy
moved to Beacon Hill, an assisted living facility in Minnetonka. In 2006,
Dorothy moved to Edina Care Center in Edina.
Dorothy was an expert seamstress, who enjoyed making fashionable clothes
for her daughter and granddaughters. She traveled frequently in conjunction
with her fabric store and with Zonta, and annually visited her daughter and
her family in California and her son in New York City. After she sold her
store, she traveled extensively with her children and others to Switzerland,
where she had relatives, and to England, Germany, Austria, Italy,
Newfoundland, Egypt and Israel. Dorothy had a wide circle of friends in
Austin, including neighbors she met in the 1940's, business associates,
and her dear friends from Grace Baptist Church.
She is survived by her children: Charlotte and Laurence, of Sonoma,
California; and Leonard and his wife, Mary, of Plymouth, Minnesota; by
seven grandchildren: Catherine Ryan, Kevin Ryan (Polly), Christopher Ryan
(Victoria), Kelly Ryan and Kimberly Ryan Zottolo (Frank) of San Diego,
California, David Addington (Kristin) of San Francisco, California, and
John Addington of Plymouth; six great-grandchildren in San Diego, and by
her sister-in-law, Joan Addington, of Tecumseh, Kansas.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her father in 1950, by her mother in 1973,
and her husband, Milton, in 1970.
Dorothy's ashes were interred in the Mound Prairie Cemetery, Mound
Prairie, Minnesota, alongside her parents and her husband. A family memorial
service will be held in Sonoma later this year.
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