Mary Dotson

Mary Katherine (Fazendin) Dotson died at her Lake Washington home Monday evening, May 1, 2006, in the grace and peace of Gods love, surrounded by loving family and friends as she planned.

Funeral services will be held 3:00 p.m., Friday May 5th, at Marysburg Catholic Church with Father Edwin Savundra officiating. Burial will be on Saturday morning at St. Michaels Cemetery in Bayport, Minnesota. In keeping with her Irish family heritage, the wake will be Wednesday and Thursday at her Lake Washington home.

Memorials are preferred to the Immanuel St. Josephs Foundation or to an organization of the donors choice.

Mrs. Dotson was born on November 24, 1909 in Stillwater, Minnesota to Florence (Boyle) and Joseph Fazendin. She graduated from Mankato High School in 1927 and from the University of Minnesota, Business School in 1931 (one of only three women in the school). She was a lifelong supporting member of the Alpha Phi Epsilon Sorority. After graduation, Mary took a position with Metropolitan Life as a home office representative. Her responsibilities included traveling to all the Midwest regional offices setting up standard office procedures.

The mid 1930s and the early 1940s saw Mary move to the West Coast where she was breaking new ground as a woman in a mans world. She worked at Lockheed Aircraft and Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles. Hughes was just getting started and she was the only woman in the engineering department. She continued her career in the aircraft industry by signing up with Boeing after a move to Seattle. In 1938 and 1939 she was grand champion in the Boeing Womens Golf Tournament.

On September 25, 1936, Mary married her college sweetheart, Jerry Dotson at Lake Washington. Mary moved back to Mankato in 1943 when her husband joined her father in the management of The Little Giant Foundry and Machine Shop. Mary served as an officer of The Dotson Company for 64 years. Marys energy was then redirected into raising her family and the neighborhood. For 50 years, Oak Knoll kids enjoyed the park and skating rink. Mary and Jerry regularly welcomed everyone into the Dotson home for hot cocoa and movies. Mary was the original organizer of the Oak Knoll 4th of July Kiddie Parade, a tradition which continues to this day. During the polio epidemic, Mary kept an apartment in Minneapolis so that she could be a full time volunteer at the Sister Kenny Institute.

Marys favorite projects included Cub Scout Den Mother, Blue Bird and Campfire Girl Leader, Art History; Music Club and the Mankato Area Foundation. She was co-founder of MAESL Music Appreciation at the Elementary School Level and the MRCI Thrift Center. She also was a strong supporter of the MSU International Student program and for many years graciously shared her home with a number of students.

Survivors include: three sons, Jerry and his wife Marcy (Rausch) of Seattle, Dennis and his wife Carole (Drum) of Mankato and Joe and his wife Leanne (Dahl) of St. Paul; a daughter Mary Ann and her husband Stephen Boe of Clear Lake, Wisconsin; and a daughter-in-law Laura Dotson of Los Angeles; 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grand children; and 28 near and dear caregivers. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1978, a daughter JoAnne in 1943, a son John in 1998 and a grandson Dva in 1986.

Marys lifes goal was to always keep God in my heart and to give thanks for His many blessings. All who had the good fortune of knowing Mary understand that she reached her goal and leaves us living with the radiance of her goodness. Please join her family and close friends in celebrating her life this summer, July 16th, at a Lake Washington family picnic.