Dorothy M Adolphson

Mankato Mortuary
507-388-2202

Dorothy Mary Adolphson, age 88 of Mankato, died Thursday, March 3, 2011 at Autumn Grace Senior Services in Mankato.

Funeral Service will be 11:00 a.m., Friday, March 11, 2011 at Grace Lutheran Church in Mankato. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery in St. Peter. Memorials may be given to the donor's choice. Arrangements are with Mankato Mortuary.

Dorothy was born on December 30, 1922 in Saginaw, MI to Elmer and Alida (Anderson) Boyer. She was a 1941 graduate of Minneapolis West High School. Dorothy graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1945 and also attended Mankato State University. She was united in marriage to Karl Adolphson on June 22, 1946 in Minneapolis. Dorothy taught at Cleveland Public Schools for one year and at Rapidan High School during the 1960's. She later was a social worker for Blue Earth County Human Services, and was with Mankato Rehab " Open Arms before retiring in 1988. Dorothy enjoyed traveling and music, especially opera.

Often she combined these passions, including a grand tour of European capitals with her husband in 1985, and trips to operas in New York City, San Francisco, London, and Germany. Dorothy always had a sense of adventure; from a train trip at age 17 to see Minnesota play Northwestern in 1940 to a rollicking car trip into Czechoslovakia shortly after the Iron Curtain fell. She particularly enjoyed hearing the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival, where she got to know many famous musicians. She once shared stories with a captivated Leonard Bernstein. When her son met Bernstein again in NYC, he recalled: "your name is Swedish...your mother has such beautiful eyes." When she could not do things herself, she lived vicariously through her three sons, sharing the excitement of their lives. In Mankato, 1224 Woodland was not only a home for Dorothy and her husband and sons but also a prime visiting place by their friends. One recalled that Dorothy was one of the "favorite West Kato Moms." Another remembers "that genuine welcoming that she gave to all of us when we came to visit. There was always lively conversation in the kitchen on Woodland Avenue. Dorothy always asked about something current or important in our lives and truly wanted us to share how we felt."
Dorothy is survived by her husband, Karl of Mankato; three sons, John (Kathleen Weinstein Adolphson) Adolphson of Eden Prairie, Erik Adolphson of St. Louis Park, and Thomas (Qingxia Li) Adolphson of Wilmette, IL; three grandchildren, Andrew Adolphson, Kari Adolphson, and Luke Adolphson Yourzak; also nieces and nephews.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Bette (Mark) Holmes.