Dorothy Anna Larsen

Dorothy Anna Larsen, the daughter of Eustace and Pauline (Ress) Lake, was born April 10, 1932 in Manning, Iowa, and passed away in her sleep on June 22, 2020 at Accura Health Care in Stanton, Iowa, at the age of 88 years, 2 months, and 12 days.

Dorothy was baptized and confirmed at the Zion Lutheran Church in Manning, where she remained a member for the majority of her life. She graduated from Manning Community Schools.

On October 12, 1952, Dorothy was united in marriage to Vernon A. Larsen at the Zion Lutheran Church in Manning. Together, Vernon and Dorothy were blessed with one daughter – Gloria. The family made their home on a farm near Gray, Iowa, where she spent time sewing, cooking, and baking. Dorothy baked more than 100 amazing wedding cakes and cooked part-time at the Gray Consolidated School.

In 1970, they moved to Audubon, Iowa, where Dorothy spent more than 10 years managing the local Casey’s store. Vernon and Dorothy enjoyed fishing together and attended the Iowa State Fair, bringing pan-fried chicken and fresh peach pie. She also participated in the county fair, entering as many as 75 entries one year, including pies, cookies, sewing and quilting projects, and flowers. She loved working in her garden and flowerbeds, which lead to an extra special Mother’s Day tradition exploring greenhouses with Gloria.

Dorothy was devoted to her family and her faith. She had a strong relationship with God and worked very hard to impart that relationship on her daughter and grandchildren. She also made life special for the whole family. Her idea was that a birthday or a holiday was just another day unless you made it special. Her favorite holiday was Christmas, where she enjoyed playing Santa and baking a special birthday cake for Jesus.

In December 2016, Dorothy and Vernon moved into the Friendship Home in Audubon, where Vernon passed away days later. Shortly after, Dorothy moved in with her daughter in Stanton. In the fall of 2019, she moved into Accura Health Care in Stanton.

During the last few years, Dorothy enjoyed many of her favorite hobbies, including spending time with family, taking day trips to the city, writing letters to loved ones, shopping, feeding treats to Gloria’s dogs, making many new friends, and taking her first ever trip to Florida to visit her brother and his wife. She found a wonderful group of women to play cards with and loved going to the great-grandkids’ sporting events and other activities. Each day seemed to bring a new adventure or activity her way, which she anxiously anticipated and was extremely grateful for.

Dorothy will be forever remembered for her love and generosity, her baking and flowers, her smile and sense of humor, and her eternal faith in the Lord.

Preceding her in death were her husband, Vernon A. Larsen; her parents, Eustace and Pauline Lake; her siblings: Carl Lee Lake, Robert Lake, Margaret and husband Leroy Hansen, and George and wife Eleanor Lake; and her brother-in-law, Harold Scott.

Survivors include her daughter, Gloria and husband Judson Requist of Stanton; her grandchildren, Jeremiah and wife Amy Tibben of Stanton and Tamara Tibben of Omaha, Nebraska; her great-grandchildren: Alexis Tibben of Sioux City, Iowa, and Kami and Kywin Tibben of Stanton; her brother, E.R. and wife Jo Lake of Treasure Island, Florida; her sister-in-law, Elvie Scott of Audubon; as well as nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends.

The family will greet friends on Friday, June 26, 2020 from 12:30 P.M. until the time of the service at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon, Iowa. A funeral service will be held at 1:00 P.M. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon with Pastor Jonathan Conner officiating. Interment will be in the Manning Cemetery. Casket bearers will be Jeremiah Tibben, Kywin Tibben, Larry Petersen, Gregg Wright, Terry Lake, and John Roberts.

An additional Celebration of Life Memorial Gathering will be held on Saturday, June 27, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. at the Mamrelund Lutheran Church in Stanton, Iowa.