Dorothea "Dottie" Pihl

Dorothea “Dottie” Pihl

LAND O LAKES - Dorothea Hildegarde Marie (Brauer) Pihl, 82, of Land O Lakes, FL died peacefully among family on March 29, 2025.

Dorothea (Dottie) was born on September 15, 1942 in Boston, MA, to the late Paul and Esther Brauer.  She graduated from Schola Latina Puellis Bostoniensis (high school) in 1960, Valparaiso University in 1964 with a Bachelor’s degree in Education, and Wright State University in 1990 with a Master’s degree in Education.  Most of her career was spent teaching elementary school in the Vandalia-Butler school district.  

She was married for 28 years to Robert Pihl, and together they raised 3 children, Geoffrey, Krista, and Eric.  The family lived in several places in Ohio and Glen Ellyn, IL, eventually settling in Dayton, OH in the late 1970’s and again in the 1980’s.  After recovering from a ruptured brain aneurysm in 1998, she lived in Atlanta, GA then moved to Land O Lakes, FL in 2002.

She was a member of the Grace Lutheran Church at Carrollwood and was active in church council, choir, helping the homeless, Stephen Ministry, and other roles.  She was also a long-time member of the Sigma Phi Gamma sorority.  She loved bowling, bunco, frogs, and spending time with friends and family.  

Above all she was known for her huge heart!  Her love for others and her love for life were infectious.  She left an indelible impression on everyone she met, which was as unforgettable as her trademark curly-Q smiley face.  She filled the lives of family and friends with love and affection.  

Dottie wrote a poem titled “Mask.” Teaching to the end, it reads in part:

  How simple life is when you look for its beauty in a puppy.

  How easy it is to love.

  At the end of the show the young man died - - I cried.

  Not for him - - he was free,

  But for all of us who need to see 

  How beautiful and simple a loving life can be!

She is survived by her three children, Geoffrey (Beth), Krista (Michael), and Eric (Amber); her 7 grandchildren Cira, Ben, Spencer, Cole, Rocco, Ace, and Nicholas; and her ex-husband Robert Pihl and sister-in-law Marcia Pihl.  She is preceded in death by her parents Paul and Esther, brother Paul, brother Gerald, sister Kathryn Ann, and sister AnEsther.

Funeral services will be held at Grace Lutheran Church at Carrollwood on Friday April 11, 2025 at 11:00 am, followed by a reception.  A private burial will be held at Woodlawn Memory Gardens in St. Petersburg, FL.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to a fund in her name at Grace Lutheran Church to be distributed to the charities she supported.  Checks may be written to Grace Lutheran Church specifying the Dottie Pihl Memorial Fund at P.O. Box 274242, Tampa, FL 33688 or online at gracetampa.org (instructions are provided under the giving menu).