Dorothy Jahns

Funeral services for Dorothy H. Jahns will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, July 30, at the United Methodist Church in Albert Lea. The Reverend John Mitchem will officiate. Interment will be in Hillcrest Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour before services at the church. Bonnerup Funeral Service is assisting the family with arrangements. Dorothy died on Friday, July 19, at St. John’s Lutheran Community in Albert Lea. She was 98. Dorothy Helen (Bertalot) Jahns was born September 8, 1920 in Spring Valley, MN to parents Earl and Doris (McMorran) Bertalot. In 1934 Dorothy attended the World’s Fair in Chicago which began her love of travel and adventure. After graduation from Spring Valley HS in 1938, she worked as an operator for the telephone company. She married Chester Jahns July 23rd, 1939 and they spent the next several years living in and around Spring Valley while having 5 children. They moved to Albert Lea in 1952. She loved being a mom and baking and cooking for her family. She worked and retired from Universal Milking Machine Division after 28 years. She filled her retirement with gardening, canning, making jelly and traveling. She loved her home and family and enjoyed hosting visitors and family, and many left her home with a jar of jelly or homemade apple pie. She loved sharing all her produce. Her 12 grandchildren were her blessings and she made them pillowcases and animal pillows. She loved taking them to the park or baking cookies with them. Dorothy was passionate about family history and created photo scrapbooks of photos and documents including letters. She remembered stories about each member of her family tree and her husband's family. All together having over 50 scrapbooks that she was extremely proud of. Dorothy loved telling stories of her life and travels and loved poetry so would often write a poem about her adventures. She loved coffee time and visiting, often sharing life stories. She had been a member in the Spring Valley, Fillmore County and Freeborn County Historical Societies. Dorothy also was a dedicated member of the United Methodist Church. Dorothy is preceded in death by her parents, Doris and Earl Bertalot; husband, Chet; son, Dan Jahns and daughter, Kathleen (Jahns) Popp and son-in-law Clarion Popp; daughter in-law Elaine (Johnson) Jahns; grandson, Kenneth Jahns; and her twin sisters, Marjorie Block and Marcella Boylan; Survivors include her sons Thomas Jahns of Michigan and Richard (Dodi) Jahns in Arizona; daughter Marlene (Jahns) Nelson, currently in Albert Lea; daughter in-law, Sue Jahns in Arizona; 11 grandchildren, Tim Jahns, Robert (Sally) Jahns, Kris (Jeff) McLaughlin, Phil Nelson, Brenda (Alan) Nelson, Karen Popp, Jeff (Mauri) Popp, David (LeAnn) Popp, Juli (Sam) Queen, Mike (Kelli) Jahns, and Carole (Jason) Woodward. Great-grandchildren, Ryan Criddle, Trenton and Delaney Queen, Kenny and Kevin Popp, Katie (Popp) Hardman, Kelly Popp, Tyler and Ella Woodward, Jaime and Nathan Popp, Rylan Jahns, Raven Nelson, Sarah and Rachael Ramirez, and Seth Nelson. Dorothy leaves her family and friends with a legacy of love.