Dorothy M. Heithoff, 71 of Elgin, NE passed away at her home on Saturday morning.
Memorials are suggested to Meals on Wheels and Concerned Care (the organization that provides care for JoAnn).

Dorothy M. Heithoff

Dorothy was born during the Great Depression, on April 9, 1939 to Henry and Elizabeth Vahle. She was born prematurely at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Norfolk on Easter Sunday. She weighed only 2 pounds, 10 ounces and an incubator had to be flown in from Chicago to take care of her.

She grew up in Pilger, NE and attended Country School District 16 and graduated from Pilger High School in 1957. There were 19 students in her graduating class. Her favorite subjects were Speech and English. After high school, she went to Estes Park, CO to work for the summer. She attended one year of college at Norfolk Business School and then worked as a telephone operator.

At the age of 19, she met her future husband, Mel Heithoff, at Kings Ballroom in Norfolk. They courted for 3 years before getting married at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Wisner, Nebraska on Nov 11, 1961. Mel and Dorothy were scheduled to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on 11/11/11. Except for the first few months of their marriage, they have lived at their current farm 2 miles east of Elgin for the last 48 years.

For many years she taught the 2nd grade CCD class at St. Boniface getting many a child ready for their First Communion. She was a member of the Elgin Legion Auxiliary, National Veteran’s Foundation and belonged to the Christian Mothers at St. Boniface. For ten years, she worked as a care giver for Nebraska Health & Human Services. She loved her Red Hatters Club, attending grandchildren’s activities, playing cards and dancing. Dorothy always saw the good in all people and carried the endearing qualities of innocence and sincerity.

Survivors include husband Mel Heithoff of Elgin; children Amy Heithoff-Dominguez and husband Andres and their children Sophia and Cayo, of Parkville, MO; Keith Heithoff and wife Lynne and their children Samantha, Beau and Lexie of Elgin; Mark Heithoff and wife Leigh and their children Shelby, Sydney and Riley of Raymond, NE; Beth Schulte and husband Al, and their children Lauren and Ryan of Wentzville, MO; JoAnn Heithoff of Kansas City, MO; and brother William Vahle of Omaha, NE.

She was preceded in death by her parents.