CHARLES CITY — Dorothy “Dottie” Solberg, 103, of Charles City, passed away Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 9th Street Chautauqua Guest Home in Charles City.
Dorothy Mae King was born March 21, 1923, in Marble Rock, the daughter of Clark Leonard and Ruth Amelia (Beyers) King. She attended Floyd County rural schools through ninth grade and also attended Marble Rock High School for one year.
As a young woman, Dorothy worked on the family farm and later worked at the Frontier Club and Club 218 in Charles City. She also helped her sister raise her three boys, showing early the family devotion that would remain central throughout her long life.
Dorothy met Ervin Solberg at the Canton Café, and the two were married September 27, 1953, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Osage. Together, they farmed in rural Floyd until Ervin’s retirement.
Known to many as Dottie, she enjoyed the simple, steady joys of conversation, family and community. She liked playing bingo, visiting with friends and watching sports with her husband and family. She was an enthusiastic fan of the Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Vikings, Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones.
Dorothy also enjoyed playing pool, traveling and cooking for those she loved. Her family especially remembers her homemade noodles, banana cake, cherry cheesecake and oatmeal cookies.
Travel brought Dorothy many happy memories. She and Ervin, along with family, attended baseball games and visited the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. She also traveled with her sister, Minerva, on trips to Las Vegas and bus trips to North Carolina. Her later travels included trips with Ervin to California and Lake Tahoe while visiting family.
Dorothy is survived by her children, Michael (Mary) Solberg, Susan Helmer, Thomas (Pam) Solberg, Linda Couillard, Janet Solberg, and Diane (Tom) Houdek; seven grandchildren, Jessica Meka, Britanie (Josh) Summer, Cody Helmer, Jacie (Tristyn) Lee, Chris Upenieks, and Larissa Perverill-Daniels; 12 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Ervin; grandson Thomas John “TJ” Houdek; a great-grandson in infancy; sisters Katherine Davis, Minerva Dralle, and Geraldine Vater; brothers George King, Leonard King, and Carroll King; and other sisters- and brothers-in-law.
A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 26, 2026, at Hauser Weishaar Funeral Home in Charles City, with Eric Hoefer from Messiah Lutheran Church officiating. Visitation will be held one hour before the service at the funeral home. Inurnment will take place at Sunnyside Memory Gardens in rural Charles City with a rose laying ceremony.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the TJ Houdek Scholarship Fund at First Security Bank.
Hauser Weishaar Funeral Home is handling arrangements. To read more and see the full obituary, please click here.
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