Ann Dorweiler

Ann died early Saturday morning, February 6, 2010, at the Assumption Nursing Home in Cold Spring , Minnesota . She had been a resident at the Home since July 31, 2009. February 14 would have been Ann’s 100th birthday.

Ann had spent the past three years with her son Paul and his wife living at Cold Spring. She was happy to be with her children and close to her grandchildren in the area. Ann was the second child of John and Martha Lambert Stahler.  She was born in the family farmhouse in Alberta , at around midnight on February 13 or 14, 1910.  Ann chose Valentine’s Day as her day.  She attended school at Morris and Alberta . After she graduated from Alberta High School she attended Teacher’s College at St. Cloud State . When she graduated she returned to Chokio and taught in the elementary school. Her marriage to Paul Barth Dorweiler took place August 3, 1935. There were two children of this marriage, Barbara Louise and Paul Stahler Dorweiler. The couple spent their entire married life living in Chokio. Ann became a homemaker following the birth of her children. In those days women were not allowed to teach after the birth of their children.

Ann was very active in community life. She was a lifelong member of St. Mary’s Church, Chokio, and was a member of the Women’s Guild, Christian Mothers, taught religious education classes and taught her son to serve at Holy Mass when he was very young.  In her civic life Ann was a long-time member of the Chokio American Legion Auxillary, the Chokio School Board, Girl Scouts and during World War II, with several other local women, taught Red Cross classes in First Aid. She also enjoyed the Chokio Study Club and said she learned more there than anyplace else. She was always a go-to person for questions about local history and in 1973 wrote a book titled A Chokio Community History as part of the Centennial celebration of Chokio. The entire community shared documents and photographs along with oral histories as she wrote, and the writing was a high point in her life.  She was a lifetime member of the Stevens County Historical Society and contributed many objects, including her brother’s military uniforms, to the collections.

Her main hobbies were collecting antiques and gardening.  She collected antiques until her house was plumb full, and gardened until she could no longer hold rake or hoe in her fingers.  She and her friend, Helen McNally, took the Master Gardener course at the University in Morris, and put it to good use as members of the Chokio Garden Club.

In 1978 she accompanied her son, Paul, and his family to the city of Prince George , British Columbia , Canada where she shared a group home with a dozen Carrier Indian children, along with a married Canadian couple. It was a wonderful use of her talents. When the children returned to the home in the fall they told her it was finally a proper Indian home, it had a Granny with gray hair. She was at the home for two years and left reluctantly when the two-year service was over. Again in 1988 she accompanied the Paul Dorweiler family to Thoreau , New Mexico , and assisted for long weeks at a group home for teenage Navajo Indian girls who attended school at St. Bonaventure Indian Mission.  During the years of 1993-98 she traveled to Window Rock, Arizona, and spent time in the classrooms of St. Michaels Special Education School feeding, rocking and washing children who were often taller and heavier than she. Ann began her missionary career at the age of 65 and loved every minute of it.

She enjoyed her travels across America , Canada , Spain , Hawaii and parts of Latin and South America .  Her heart was always in Chokio. In her older years she fed and housed many grandsons and great-grandsons and the hunting dogs that accompanied them, from late summer to the middle of winter. She loved the Twins and watched every game possible until she lost her sight in March 2009.

Ann was Tom Kelly’s godmother. Ann was an enthusiastic photographer and always had slides made of her travels. The slide shows were legendary among her grandchildren.

Ann was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Paul Dorweiler, and her brothers Tom, Chuck, Jim, Lambert and her sisters Martha and Genevieve; also two grandsons, Paul Gleason Dorweiler and Daniel J. Carlson.

She is survived by her brother, Dr. Paul Stahler of Jordan ; her daughter Barbara Eide (Jerry) of Stevensville , Montana ; and a son, Paul (Roxann) of Cold Spring.  Her grandchildren are Louis Carlson, Lisa Carlson, Dr. Tom Carlson, Anne Stahn, Kathryn Bergstrom,  Peter Carlson and Dr. Molly Buckler, children of Barbara; also Sarah Coleman (Reggie), Matthew (Cindi) Dorweiler, Betsy Holan (Dan), Lauren (Risa) Dorweiler, and Margaret Pomeroy (Tom), children of Paul Dorweiler.

She was remarkably close to her great-grandchildren: Jessica, Robin, Lauren and Daniel Cotton; Lindsay Rose Carlson;  Levon and Jake Carlson; Ben and Addie Carlson; Nathan, Rachel and Emily Stahn; Henry and Norah Bergstrom; Simon and Ruby Carlson and Will Buckler, all the grandchildren of Barbara Eide; Matthew Robert and Andrew Dorweiler;  James, Isaac and Caleb Coleman; Joe and Lauren Elizabeth Holan; Jack and Audrey Dorweiler; and George Pomeroy, all grandchildren of Paul Dorweiler. In addition to these are great-great grandchildren Eva Cotton and Benjamin Dorweiler.

Pallbearers will be her grandsons.

Music will be provided by the St. Mary’s choir and organist.  Soloist will be Tom Horning who will sing Ann’s favorite song, His Eye Is On the Sparrow. Lunch will be served in the Parish Hall. Pedersen Funeral Home of Morris is in charge of the arrangements.