Dorothea M. Gerhold

Dorothea Marie Gerhold, 82, of 550 E. Carl Sandburg Dr., Galesburg, died at 7:55 a.m. on Friday, January 11, 2008 at OSF St. Mary Medical Center, Galesburg. Dorothea was born on September 24, 1925 in Kewanee, the daughter of Charles and Edna M. White Gerhold. Surviving Dorothea are her sister, Lois McCutcheon of Galesburg; and several cousins including her first cousins, Robert L. Coven of Kewanee and Jack McLoraine of Arlington Heights. After graduating from Kewanee High School Dorothea attended Kewanee Business College. She then became a secretary for the Resident Inspector’s Office of Naval Material for the US Navy during WW II. She then worked for Traveler’s Insurance in Peoria. After leaving Peoria, she and her sister Lois lived and worked in several different locations throughout the US including, Florida, New York, and Evanston, Illinois. They finally settled in Oceanside, CA, where Dorothea worked for the Forestry Department assisting the Park Ranger in the Palomar Mountain, Cleveland National Forest area from 1972 to 1982. After retiring, she and her sister moved back to Illinois. Dorothea was a devoted Catholic and had needle pointed many banners, backdrops, and posters for many churches across the United States. She was a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. She loved pets and enjoyed photography and computers. Dorothea’s Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Monday, January 14, 2008 at Immaculate Heart of Mary, with the Rev. Ernest Pizzamiglio, officiating. No visitation is planned. Burial will be in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery, North Hollywood, CA.