Dorothy Ladenburger, 91, of Mendota died Thursday, November 28, 2019, at the Mendota Lutheran Home.

Funeral services will be Thursday at 11:00 a.m. at St. John's Lutheran Church, Mendota with Rev. Steve Mindrup officiating. Burial will be in Restland Cemetery, Mendota. Visitation will be one hour prior to the funeral.

Born November 22, 1928, in Mendota, Dorothy was the youngest child and only daughter of German immigrants Johannes and Marie (Mueller) Jauch.

Dorothy attended school in Mendota before working at the "corn factory," where she met her future husband, Arthur. The couple married on June 22, 1947, and resided in Mendota. 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 mah jongg.

She is survived by her 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, as well as seven great-grandchildren, Kordt, Kaden, Seamus, Berlin, Bianka, Emma, and Fitz.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Erhardt "Dutch" and Albert Jauch, and her husband, Arthur in 1978.

Memorials may be directed to the Mendota Lutheran Home.