Dorothy Lee Bovee

Dorothy L. Bovee, age 91 of Belle Plaine died on Sunday, July 10, 2011 at the Lutheran Home in Belle Plaine. Funeral Service will be 11:00 am on Thursday at the LeSueur Presbyterian Church. Visitation will be at church on Thursday from 9:00-11am. Interment will be in the Ft. Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. Dorothy was born on February 23, 1920 to Lee Houk and Iona Mae (Rusco) Whitehead in Olive, OK. She was raised on a farm near Depew OK and her father was a cotton and soybean farmer. She graduated from Depew High School in 1940. After graduating from high school she got a job as a spot welder at Douglas Air Craft Company in Tulsa, OK. She met Wayne A. Bovee in Sapulpa, OK and they were married in 1945. They moved to Richmond, California for work and in 1946 and Terry was born there. In 1950, they moved to St. Paul, Minnesota and for a short while, lived in a garage due to the housing shortage after the war. Iona was born in St. Paul. In 1958 the family built a house in Arden Hills, MN. Dorothy was a cook for 23 years with the Mounds View School District, and most of her employment was at Johanna Junior High School. She was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in St. Paul, MN and was active in church activities. She enjoyed sewing, quilting, gardening, hiking and camping. Her extensive flower beds were a reflection of her love for nature. She had a free spirit and enjoyed traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada camping and hiking with Wayne. She was a very loving and generous mother, grandma and wife. In Lieu of flowers memorial preferred to Alzheimer's Association, Minnesota-North Dakota Chapter. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, Wayne, brother Paul and sister Clara. She is survived by her children, Terry (Kim) Bovee of Henderson, MN Iona (Jerry) Meyer of Palisade, MN Grandchildren, Jack Bovee, Reta (Jared) Lind and Katherine "Katie" Bovee Great Grandchild, Cayle Lind Brother, Charles Whitehead of Oklahoma City, OK.