Dorothy Ruth Tollefson

Dorothy "Dot” Tollefson, 94, of Greeley, Colorado, passed away peacefully on September 20, 2020 in Greeley. Dorothy was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Gustave & Margie (Allen) Peterson on June 17, 1926. On August 18, 1954 in Wadena, Minnesota, Dorothy married the love of her life, Chester Tollefson. Dorothy & Chester moved from Minnesota to Greeley in 1966. Dorothy would say it was to get away from the tornado's, not realizing Weld County was well known for tornado's. She would tell everyone to keep their eye on the weather and advise to not travel when there were dark clouds. Dorothy worked for the telephone company as a Distribution Technical Assistant first in Minnesota, then in Greeley. After 26 years she retired in 1982. She & her husband belonged to an RV group and enjoyed RV’ing often, especially up in the Colorado mountains. They often took their grandchildren with them, creating very special memories. Dorothy wasn’t fond of the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, but we all recall her singing "Bushel and a Peck” to all the grandkids. Dorothy was a lover of all animals, twice trying to rescue prairie dogs from window-wells. Her granddaughter, Lisa, has an emotional support cat, June. Dorothy would marvel that June had more airline miles than all of us put together. She had Pekinese dogs for many years. In her later life, after the death of her husband, she adopted 2 very special Rag-doll cats, Sugar and Spice. Dorothy also treasured family, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She made sure no one left her home hungry, and she could play a mean game of Old Maid. Dorothy was an enormous part of our lives and leaves a huge hole in our hearts, but we are comforted that she is at peace. Dorothy is survived by her daughter, Connie (Jack) Hail, daughters-in-law Kathy Tollefson, and Jackie Tollefson; grandchildren, Richard Hail-Wohlgemuth, Nicole Tollefson, Lisa Hail, Shanna (Alex) Martinez, Christopher (Nikki), Michael Jr. (Jennifer), and Steven Tyler Tollefson; great-grandchildren, Brianna, and Brook Hail-Wohlgemuth, Sophia Martinez, Will, Owen, Noah, Olivia, Ben, Hailey, Remi, and SJ Tollefson; Dorothy’s cat, Sugar; and a large loving extended family. She was preceded in death by her husband, sons Steve and Michael Tollefson; siblings, Margaret Erhardt, Eddie Peterson and Richard Peterson; parents; and cat, Spice. A Celebration of Life will be scheduled in the Summer of 2021.