Dorothy Erlandson, 101, died Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, at Good Samaritan Center in Albert Lea. There will be a memorial service at 10 a.m. Sept. 16 at First Presbyterian Church in Albert Lea. Friends may greet the family one hour prior to the service or following the service at the church.  A private burial will be at Graceland Cemetery.

Dorothy May Erlandson was born Aug. 15, 1916, in New Rockford, North Dakota, the daughter of Anton and Josephine (Wheelon) Hawkinson. She was a graduate of New Rockford High School and North Dakota State University where, in 1938, she received her Bachelor of Science in home economics. On July 1, 1939, she married the love of her life, Ralph O. Erlandson, in New Rockford,  and they settled in Albert Lea, where Ralph owned a John Deere dealership. During her span of 78 years in Albert Lea, Dorothy has contributed her energy and commitment to many organizations, including the Republican Party, AAUW, the YMCA and she was a charter member of PEO CV. Her interest in the stock market led her to begin a women’s investment group, WIG. She was an active member of First Presbyterian Church, serving as both elder and deacon and enjoying her Bible studies. She also supported her daughter Jeannie’s special needs with her involvement in ARC and Spire. In addition to her community activities, Dorothy will be fondly remembered for her warm hospitality and love of entertaining. She loved to be in the kitchen cooking great dishes or in the garden tending her flowers. She was a wonderful inspiration to her family and will be greatly missed by all who loved her.

Survivors include children: son Ralph (Roe) and his wife, Deanna Erlandson, of Oro Valley, Arizona; son Kent and his wife, Sue Erlandson, of Albert Lea; and daughter Nancy Herter and her husband, Lendall Smith, of Portland, Maine. Dorothy is also survived by her eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph Erlandson; daughter, Jeannie Erlandson; and her parents and two sisters, Fran and Gen.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to First Presbyterian Church or ARC of Freeborn County.