Dorothy “Dot” Gerdes

Dorothy “Dot” Kruggel Gerdes, 102, died Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Concord Care Center, Garner, Iowa, surrounded by her family.  

A visitation will be held 3-6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, at Ward Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 310 1st Ave. North, Clear Lake.  A private family inurnment will be held in Elmwood St. Joseph Cemetery, Mason City, Iowa.

Dorothy Mae Grattidge was born on July 11, 1921 in rural Clarion, Iowa, the daughter of Arthur M. and Stella Grace (Chapman) Grattidge. She grew up on a farm in the Woolstock area and attended rural school in Wall Lake Township through the eighth grade. She attended high school in Clarion and Clear Lake, graduating from Clear Lake High School in 1939.

On Nov. 27, 1941, Dot married Louis W. Kruggel, at Rockwell, Iowa and they had two children, Judith Ann and Louis Kurt. Louie died on March 7, 1946. Dot later married Robert Gerdes in Northwood, Iowa, on Nov. 14, 1957 and they had one child, Ronald Gerdes. Bob was deceased on Nov. 29, 1968. She continued living on their acreage south of Clear Lake until moving to Apple Valley Assisted Living in 2014.

She lived and worked briefly in California after graduation. When her first husband died, she attended Hamilton Business School and later worked as a secretary at Swift & Company and Memorial Park Cemetery, but for most of her life Dot was a homemaker. She enjoyed her family, cats, birds, flowers and planting a huge garden to can and give generously to others. Her potato salad was legendary. She liked to sew doll clothes and especially quilts for all her children and grandchildren.

She was a member of Thought & Thimble Club, Swaledale Garden Club and Lakeside Ladies Aid.

Surviors include her daughter, Judy Coe, Ventura; son, Ronald Gerdes and wife, Susan Saunders, of St. Paul, Minn.; and daughter-in-law, Kelly Taylor Kruggel, Webster City; grandchildren, Megan Coe of N. St. Paul, Minn., Mindy Coe, Cleghorn, Robert Kruggel (Brooke), of Piseco, NY, Adam Kruggel (Lauren), of Marshfield, Mass., Melissa Molchan, of Rockland, Mass., Rian Mitchell (Chris), of Golden Valley, Minn., Joel Gerdes and Rose Gerdes, of St. Paul, and Mikaela Gerdes, of Denver, Colo.; great-grandchildren, Mason and Robin Kruggel, Anna Dorothy Kruggel, Owen and Ava Molchan and Graham, Naomi and Casey Mitchell, as well as, step-grandchildren, Kyle Taylor (Marcy) and Pierson Taylor (Laura Johnson). She is also survived by her sisters, Evelyn Belda, of Redondo Beach, Calif., Lois Weeks, of Clayton, NC, Lucille Stimbert, of Westminster, Calif.; and brothers, Melvin Grattidge, of Palo Cedro, Calif. and Dean Grattidge, of Hemet, Calif. 

She was preceded in death by her parents; husbands; son, Louis Kurt Kruggel; son-in-law, Donald Coe; brother, Robert Grattidge; sisters, Geraldine (Gay) Worrall and Marjorie Charlton; grandsons, Michael D. Coe and Matthew Kruggel.

Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of arrangements.