Dorothy Esselink

DOROTHY ESSSELINK was born on March 16, 1925 to Jon and Geeritje (Vande Pol) Mouw on the family farm near Beaver Creek, Minnesota. Dorothy spent her childhood years on the farm and attended the local country school and the Valley Springs Public School in South Dakota. She would have enjoyed continuing with school but her help was needed on the farm. During her teenage years she worked on the farm, cleaned houses, and was employed for a while at the Luverne Bakery. She was united in marriage to Gerrit Esselink on March 6, 1946 at the Christian Reformed Church in Hills, Minnesota. The couple started farming near Beaver Creek. In 1960, they moved to a farm north of Leota, Minnesota. In 1993, they moved into the retirement house that Gerrit helped build for them in Leota. Gerrit, her beloved husband for over 61 years, preceded her in death on December 26, 2007. Dorothy continued to reside in her home until transferring to Ridgeview Estate in Pipestone, Minnesota in 2010. On April 28, 2017 she moved into Edgebrook Care Center in Edgerton, Minnesota. She entered hospice care at the Pipestone County Hospital on Friday, May 19, 2017. Dorothy passed away peacefully surrounded by family on May 22, 2017 at the age of 92 years, 2 months, and 6 days.

Dorothy was a member of Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church in Leota. In her years of service, she was a member of the Ladies Aid Society, Christian School Society, and also taught Sunday School. She kept busy with many hobbies and interests throughout her life. She enjoyed sewing, crocheting, embroidering, baking, oil painting, ceramics, reading her Bible and listening to Christian TV stations. She was an excellent baker and cook and was always ready to provide a meal or baked item to someone in need. She loved to visit no matter where she was. During their retirement years, Gerrit and Dorothy were able to enjoy spending many winters in Arizona and Texas.

Those left to cherish her memories are her children, Carol Guice of Sarepta, LA, Sandra (Milt) Schonewill of Sioux Falls, SD, Dianne (Dave) Prins of Pipestone, MN, and Keith (Dawn) Esselink of Leota; 19 grandchildren; 40 great-grandchildren; 15 great-great-grandchildren; her siblings, Ida Langstraat of Hawarden, IA and Jan Skattum and her husband Mark of Northglenn, CO; a sister-in-law, Evelyn Mouw of Sioux Falls, SD. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerrit; her parents; her son-in-law, Clyde Guice; great-grandson, Wilson Arp; brothers, Joe Mouw and his wife Hilda and Edward Mouw; sister, Trudy Trailor and her husband Ray; brothers-in-law, John Langstraat, Gerald Thompson, Lense Esselink and his wife Jennie, Henry Esselink and his wife Kathleen; and a sister-in-law, Bertha Den Besten and her husband Gerrit.