Dorothy Juanita Lenz

Dorothy Juanita (Jean) Goe was born March 28, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, the only child of the late Charles Morgan Goe and Juanita (Thillman) Goe. She married Floyd LeRoy Lenz on June 21, 1947. They had four children: Pamela Ruth, Sandra Ann who passed as an infant, Curtis Allen, and Barbara Jean, who preceded Floyd and Dorothy in death in 2002.
After moving from Illinois, Floyd and Dorothy resided and reared their family in Hammond, Highland, and DeMotte, Indiana, Upon retirement, they wintered in Florida. They celebrated 65 years of marriage at the time of Floyd's passing in 2013. Dorothy moved to Rensselaer, Indiana, to live with her granddaughter before residing at Bluegrass Way Senior Living in Campbellsville, Kentucky, at the time of her passing on July 4, 2023, at the age of 93.
Dorothy leaves behind daughter Pamela Dailey-McNeiley and son-in-law Dean McNeiley of Kentucky, son Curtis Lenz of Missouri, granddaughters Jennifer Villmer of New Mexico, Andrea Skrabal (Brian) of Indiana, Veronica Clubb (Matthew) of Missouri, and grandson Timothy Morrison (Megan) of Michigan. Great grandchildren include Austin Clark (Trinaty) of Missouri, Ian Skrabal of Indiana, Adel Villmer of New Mexico, great-great granddaughter Ella Clark of Missouri, and special great-great step granddaughter Nia McNeiley. Also surviving are nieces Sheryl Lenz of North Carolina, Sandra Lenz of Illinois, nephews Scott Lenz (Rose) of Illinois, William Zoellick (Pauline) of Maine, and Robert Zoellick (Sherry) of Virginia, cousins Edward Shrey (Chris) and Roger Thillman (Joyce) of Indiana, sister-in-law Bonnie Lenz of Florida, Barbara's husband, Thomas Morrison of Michigan, and special cousins by marriage Roger and Charlene Miedtke of Minnesota.
Dorothy was active with her husband, Floyd, in Faith Lutheran Church in DeMotte, Indiana, and will be interred in Faith Lutheran Cemetery with him. She liked to bake and host luncheons and dinners for friends and family. Since for decades they left for Florida shortly after Thanksgiving to avoid the northern Indiana winters, the family assembled for Thanksgiving at their house and began exchanging Christmas gifts at that time. The family renamed the holiday 'Thanksmas'; besides the fall dinner table decorations, the Christmas Tree was decorated and lit, including with the traditional green pickle glass ornament. Dorothy was a wonderful mother, loving wife, dedicated friend, and empathetic and caring person who as a child grew up with a close knit family living together during the depression. She was artistic, could draw, sculpt, and paint, and also write lovely stories. However, cleaning was her passion. She had a variety of vacuums. In her late 80s she would still stand on a stool and clean windows. Once while waiting to pick up her great grandson in a parking lot, she plugged in a car vacuum, began vacuuming her car and washing the windows; she had a bucket and cleaning supplies handy in her trunk. A young man walked by and asked her if she did car detailing for a living because her vintage Lincoln was gleaming. She found such humor in that because she was well into her 80s, definitely past the age for detailing cars for a living.
Finally, Dorothy left this newspaper clipping to share in her will packet entitled "After Glow": " I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one. I'd like to leave an after glow of smiles when life is done. I'd like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days. I'd like the tears of those who grieve to dry before the sun of happy memories that I leave when life is done."
Go with God