Obituary: Dorothy (Dottie) Klepp

By Door County Pulse , Peninsula Pulse – October 25th, 2019

July 4, 1933 – Oct. 23, 2019

Dorothy (Dottie) Klepp, 86, died Oct. 23. She was the daughter of Elbridge McConnell and Helen M. Brandle and was very proud of her Ohio roots. She graduated from Miami University and was active in the Pi Beta Phi sorority.

She met her first husband, Dave, on a blind date, and after a whirlwind romance, they married and moved to California to start a family. She and Dave raised four children in Fresno, then relocated to Lake Forest, Illinois, in 1970, where they shared a wonderful life together. After Dave’s death in 1977, Dottie restarted her career and became the registrar of the Lake Forest School of Management, which made us all very proud.

She and Wally Klepp found love “The Second Time Around” and married in 1983. They were very active in Door County and found much joy in the beauty of the peninsula. They created fond memories together, including being part of the Sweet Sixteen group: eight couples that traveled, laughed and socialized together for many years.

Dottie made friends easily and developed many long-lasting and special relationships in her life. She loved Door County and the ability to pursue her many interests. She enjoyed her Liberal Ladies group, Northern Door Book Club, Sew What and Lunch Bunch. She enjoyed playing golf at Peninsula State Park Golf Course with Wally and their many friends and was a member of the Wednesday ladies’ golf group. She and Wally embraced the nature of Door County by volunteering and being active with The Ridges Sanctuary and Door County Land Trust.

Dottie was passionate about her politics, loved watching sports and was always eager to learn new things to feed her curiosity. She typically had a knitting project underway and one or two books that she was reading and loved sharing the book reports that she diligently wrote.

Dottie was a firecracker from start to finish. She was a strong, but sensitive woman who wanted to live in a world that was fair to everyone and struggled at times with life’s many injustices, especially in recent years.

Dottie loved her vests, a good Scrabble match and found much joy playing Yahtzee and games with special friends and family.

She led a great life and lived fully and independently until recently. She was an amazing mom and a friend to many and will be sorely missed.

She is survived by four children and three step-children and their spouses and companions, seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.

There will be a celebration of her life in the springtime at a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Door County Land Trust or Unity Hospice.

Huehns Funeral Home and Door County Crematory are assisting the Klepp family. Expressions of sympathy, memories and photos of Dottie can be shared through her tribute page at huehnsfuneralhome.com.