Dolores died peacefully at the age of 93.
Dolores was born in Murray county, Minnesota to Otto and Olga Gundermann. Her father died when she was young, so with her mother and sister, she moved with other family members to Tacoma, Washington when she was a teen. After high school Dolores attended Concordia River Forest to become a teacher and was assigned to Sandy, Oregon for her student teaching in 1951. There she met Leonard Fuerstenau and they married Dec 1952. They were married just shy of 68 years when he passed in 2020.
A lifelong Lutheran, Dolores taught for many years at Concordia, Seattle and Trinity, Portland. She later earned a degree in Art Education from Multnomah University and put that to work teaching art and coordinating operettas at Trinity for several decades. She retired from teaching in 1994. She assisted with LCMS NW district mission projects. She played organ and sang in choirs for Messiah, Seattle; Trinity Portland; Christ the Vine, Damascus and Good Shepherd in Vancouver, WA. She enjoyed sharing her love of music and art with children.
Dolores was thrilled to travel with her Gundermann cousins to her family homestead in Germany at the age of 78. She enjoyed meeting family still living on that farm and was proud of her German heritage. She was an avid fruit, vegetable and flower gardener and particularly loved growing dozens of varieties of Dahlias. One of her greatest joys was to gather with family.
Dolores is survived by her three children, Ramona of Vancouver, Washington, Roger of Hales Corner, Wisconsin, and David (Patti) of Fairfield, Iowa, grandchildren Marisa and Ben Fisher, Brenden (Riley) and Kellen Fuerstenau and Shaylyn (Rob) Hovanec, her great grand child Leona Draude and many nieces and nephews.
Service and burial will be coordinated by Sandy Funeral home on Friday, January 6.
Her final resting place is Sandy Ridge cemetery.
Dolores was a strong believer in Lutheran Education and would have loved memorials in her name to be made to:
The Trinity Fund
Trinity Lutheran Church and School
5520 NE Killingsworth street, Portland, Or 97210.