March 26, 1931 – July 9, 2025
Dorothy Mae Zaugg was born on March 26th, 1931 to George and Emma (Traub) Sauder in West Bend, Iowa. Dorothy grew up in several houses in West Bend that were built or renovated by her father. Dorothy graduated from West Bend High School in 1948 and then worked at Schafer Chevrolet and Implement as a bookkeeper and in the parts department. At this time Dorothy and her friend, Ruby Zaugg, would go out to the Zaugg family farm and make pancakes for Richard on the weekends. Richard and Dorothy were united in marriage on March 22nd, 1953.
Richard and Dorothy lived on the Zaugg family farm north of West Bend, raising five children: Ellen, Tom, Jeff, Mike, and Jerry. While on the farm, Dorothy took great pride in her garden and was pleased by cooking for her growing family. She also enjoyed many evenings with extended family at quilting bees, sing-alongs, and taffy pulls. Dorothy also enjoyed hosting sledding parties at the farm. Many cousins and friends spent winter afternoons going down and up “the hill.”
When Richard passed away in 2006, Dorothy stayed on the farm to continue to tend her garden and take care of the boys (Tom and Jerry) for several years. She moved to the Apostolic Christian Apartments and then to The Prairie Creek Assisted Living Center. Dorothy remained active off of the farm visiting, working on crossword puzzles and word games, and completing a large number of jigsaw puzzles.
Dorothy passed away at the West Bend Health and Rehab Center on July 9th, surrounded by family at the age of 94.
Dorothy is survived by her sister Joyce Nohl; daughter Ellen (Curtis) Strahm; sons Tom Zaugg, Jeff (Penny) Zaugg, Drs. Michael (Tiffanie) Zaugg and Jerry Zaugg; 11 grandchildren; 34 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; her siblings Ellis, Bertha, Virgil, Mildred, MaryAnn, Donald, Richard and George Jr.; and two great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held at the Apostolic Christian Fellowship Center, West Bend, Iowa on Friday, July 11th from 5:00 – 7:00 PM. Visitation will also be held at the West Bend Apostolic Christian Church on Saturday, July 12th at 1:00 PM with funeral services to follow at 2:00 PM. Services have been entrusted to Lentz Funeral Home of West Bend. Online condolences may be left at http://www.lentzfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requests that donations be made to West Bend Health and Rehab.
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