Dorothy Virginia Zehr

Dorothy V. Zehr, 93, of Fort Dodge passed away Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at Bickford Cottages in Fort Dodge. Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Wednesday June 22, 2016 at St. Olaf Lutheran Church with Rev. John Sersland officiating. Burial will be private at Rose Hill Cemetery, Manson. A visitation will be 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Laufersweiler-Sievers Funeral Home Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Dorothy is survived by her daughter, Lisa Soapes of Albuquerque, NM; son, Steven Zehr of Biebergemuend-Rossbach, Germany; grandchildren, Nicholas (Tabatha) Soapes; Katherine (Andres) Soapes-Trujillo; three great-grandchildren; four nieces; and one nephew. She was preceded in death by her parents, W. Ralph and Olive (Harris) Peer; husband, Elbert "Pete" Zehr; brothers, Herbert Peer; Rex Peer; son-in-law, Dr. Thomas Soapes and granddaughter, Natalie Soapes. Dorothy Virginia Peer was born October 15, 1922 in Des Moines. Dorothy was raised and educated in Southwest Iowa until her family moved to Manson in 1938. Dorothy graduated from Manson High School in 1940. On October 20, 1942, she was united in marriage to Elbert "Pete" Zehr. They established their home in Manson until moving to Fort Dodge in 1959. After Dorothy raised her family, she went back to college and received her degree in Music Education from Drake and later received her Master's Degree. Dorothy taught in the Fort Dodge Public School System for 20 years until retiring in 1986. Dorothy then taught the Orff Music program in Nuremberg, Germany for three years until returning to Fort Dodge in 1990. She was a member of PEO, Retired Teachers and St. Olaf Lutheran Church. Disa volunteered for the Aftercare Program at the Fort Dodge Prison for many years. She also taught English at Iowa Central Community College for a summer. Dorothy also sang with Andy Williams and Brothers on WHO Radio in Des Moines with her father, (Ralph) PeeWee Peer. Dorothy's family would like to thank the staff of Bickford Cottage and Hospice for all their kind, loving care. Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family or Karl King Scholarship Fund. Visitation Tue, Jun 21, 2016 at 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm Laufersweiler-Sievers Funeral Home 307 South 12th Street Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501 Service Wed, Jun 22, 2016 at 11:00 am St. Olaf Lutheran Church