Dorothea Pederson age 96 of Lamberton formerly of Westbrook passed away Monday, September 18, 2017 at Valley View Manor in Lamberton. Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday at the Westbrook Funeral Home. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Interment will be in the Westbrook Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent at www.stephensfuneralservice.com. Stephens Funeral Service – Westbrook Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Dorothea Evelyn Pederson was born to Carl and Mary Pederson October 14, 1920, on a farm southwest of Westbrook. She had an older brother, Stanley, and two younger sisters, Geneva and Joyce. She was baptized in the Baptist faith. Dorothea was a person who liked to help others, something she learned by helping her dad with the daily chores on the farm. After her dad’s death in the late 1940s, Dorothea moved to Westbrook. She lived with her mother and cared for her the last six years of her battle with Parkinson’s disease before Mary moved to the Good Samaritan Home in Westbrook. Dorothea continued to live in their home until she decided it was time for her to move to Valley View Manor in Lamberton in December of 2000. She remained there until her death, September 18, 2017. Dorothea attended Westbrook Public School through 8th grade. She never married. When she moved into Westbrook, she enjoyed babysitting neighborhood children. She had many health issues, but she rarely complained. Carl and Mary Pederson joined Immanuel Baptist Church in 1918, and Dorothea grew up in the church, beginning in the nursery. The church kitchen was filled with preschoolers who heard their first Bible stores from Lydia Lundquist, their teacher. The entire family heard the salvation story from Carl and Mary at home. Dorothea accepted the Lord as her Savior sometime during her childhood, and followed the Lord by being immersed at the age of 12 in 1933. The children were blessed with their Danish/American parents and a Christ-centered home. Carl rushed to get chores done before leaving for church on Sundays, and Mary fried chicken ‘just in case’ they wanted to invite someone home for dinner (which happened almost every Sunday). Dorothea’s home was a short walk from Immanuel Baptist Church, so she rarely missed a Sunday service. For many years she faithfully served as Sunday School secretary.
Dorothea is survived by her nephew Brad (Cindy) Silkensen of Fullerton, CA. She was preceded in death by her parents, her three siblings and their spouses.