Funeral services for Dorothy H. Jahns will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at United Methodist Church in Albert Lea. The Rev. 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 Friday, July 19, 2019, at St. John’s Lutheran Community in Albert Lea. She was 98.

Dorothy Helen (Bertalot) Jahns was born Sept. 8, 1920, in Spring Valley 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 High School in 1938 she worked as an operator for the telephone company.

She married Chester Jahns on July 23, 1939, and they spent the next several years living in and around Spring Valley while having five 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 she 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 and Fillmore County and Freeborn County Historical societies. Dorothy also was a dedicated member of United Methodist Church.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents Doris and Earl Bertalot; husband, Chet; son, Dan Jahns; 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, of Albert Lea; daughter-in-law, Sue Jahns, of 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; and great-grandchildren Ryan Criddle, Trenton and Delaney Queen, Kenny and Kevin Popp, Katie (Popp) Hardman, Kelley Popp, Tyler and Ella Woodward, Jaime and Nathan Popp, Rylan Jahns and Raven Nelson.

Dorothy leaves her family and friends with a legacy of love.