Dorothea E. Pankow  1918-2017

Wahpeton, North Dakota

Dorothea E. Pankow, 98,  passed away at 1:45 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2017, at St Catherine Living Center-Benedictine Community, Wahpeton, North Dakota.

Dorothea was born August 11, 1918 in Hanover, Kansas.  She was the daughter of Jacob & Maria (Hensel) Pfeifer of Anamoose, ND.  She married Harold J. Pankow in 1937 in Anamoose, North Dakota and he preceded her in death in 1970.  She was also preceded in death by 2 sisters, Mathilda  "Tillie" Ruede and Marie Cron; 5 brothers, Jacob "Jake", Dan, Hilbert, Gottlieb, and Gerhardt "Gary" Pfeifer; and 12 step-sisters and brothers (The John Schlag family.)

She is survived by 3 children, Elaine Pearson of Marysville, WA, Diane (Richard) Drew of Springfield, IL, and Arlan (Sharon) Pankow of Royal Palm Beach, FL.; 6 grandchildren, Robert (Dawn) Pearson  and Mary Jo (Steve) Halvorson of  WA, Rick Drew of CA, Jon (Jaime) Drew of TX, Wendy (Kris) Swanson of FL, and Joseph (Heather) Pankow of CA; 10 great-grandchildren, Tiffany (Peter) Gomez, Adam (Lisa) Stobbe, Jared and Luke Halvorson, Amanda and Kyle Pearson all of WA, Benjamin Drew of TX, Amelia Pankow of CA, and John and James Swanson of FL; 4 great-great-grandchildren, Jaclyn, Peter and James Gomez and Addison Stobbe all of WA; 5 step-grandchildren, April of WA, Chuck and Cheri of MN, and Cindy & Cori of FL.

Dorothea assisted her husband in farming until they moved to Minnesota in 1952 where she worked in health care at St. John's Hospital, St Paul, Minnesota until she retired in1970. In 1977 she moved back to North Dakota to be near extended family and lived in Bowbells, North Dakota until 2012.

She enjoyed taking care of her grandchildren, flying around the country to celebrate with her children and friends.  She remained close to many nieces and nephews who looked to her for stories and comfort as the last survivor of the Pfeifer-Schlag families. She enjoyed gardening, studying history and watching the weather.  She loved to share Bible stories and often took flowers from her garden to visit shut-ins. As the youngest child in a blended family of 20 children, heaven has a special celebration for her to be reunited with  many of her families members who she comforted in their last days and to meet her father who passed away when she was 2 weeks old in 1918 and named her Dorothea.

She will be sadly missed for her sweet thoughtful ways.  She would remind  us all, "This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and  be glad in it." Psalms 118:24. She wanted everyone to know Jesus Christ as their Savior; she trusted in God's promises and she was content.

A funeral service will be held on 2/27/17, 11AM at the Johnson-Peterson Funeral Home, 2130  2nd St., White Bear Lake, MN 55110.  Burial will follow at Union Cemetery.  Memorial contributions can be made to St Catherine Living Center, 1307  Seventh  Street North, Wahpeton, North Dakota,  58075