MENDOTA - Dorothy E. Ladenburger, 91, of Mendota died Nov. 28, 2019 at the Mendota Lutheran Home.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Mendota with Rev. Steve Mindrup officiating. Burial will be at Restland Cemetery, Mendota. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the funeral at the church. Merritt Funeral Home handled the arrangements.

Dorothy was born Nov. 22, 1928 in Mendota, the youngest child and only daughter of German immigrants, Johannes and Marie (Mueller) Jauch. She married Arthur Ladenburger on June 22, 1947. He preceded her in death in 1978.

Survivors include three children, Arthur (Olga) Ladenburger of Palatine, Rick (Deborah) Ladenburger of Princeton and Sue (Richard “Smiley”) Ponto of Mendota; three grandchildren, Heidi (Ronald) Zimmermann of Bolingbrook, Eva Ladenburger of Lake Zurich and Stefan (Dana) Ladenburger of Lindenhurst; and seven great-grandchildren, Kordt, Kaden, Seamus, Berlin, Bianka, Emma and Fitz.

She was preceded in death by her husband and two brothers, Erhardt “Dutch” and Albert Jauch.

Dorothy attended school in Mendota before working at the “corn factory,” where she met her future husband. The couple resided in Mendota and Dorothy clerked at Ben Franklin, was fabric buyer for Spurgeon’s, and worked in dietary services at Mendota Community Hospital. A member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, she was active in the Rachel Circle. She was also a den mother for the Boy Scouts and served as a Girl Scout leader. A talented artist, she studied oil painting under Louise Ehlers. She also loved reading and playing the piano. Passionate about gardening, she spent many hours maintaining her flower beds, which were works of art in themselves. Later in life, she joined a group of friends every Monday for mahjongg.

Memorials may be directed to the Mendota Lutheran Home.

Online condolences may be left at www.merrittfh.com.