Dorothy Ruth (Saxby) Fechter Dorothy passed away November 28, 2021 with family by her side.

Born July 31, 1927 in Stanley WI, the daughter of Elson John “E.J.” and Gertie Otelia (Johnson) Saxby.

She spent most of her childhood in Birchwood WI and moved to northern Illinois upon high school graduation where she met and married Richard Fechter. She was a trailblazer in that she was one of the first moms to have a full time job in addition to raising 2 daughters, working at Woodward Governor for 17 years. She then worked several more years, enjoying her work in accounting and office management or as she herself said laughingly, “jack of all trades, master of none”. She relocated to Birchwood in the late 1980’s to be near her siblings and found her dream home, a 2 bedroom cabin on Big Chetac. Updating and remodeling her home was a labor of love and welcomed all with love, sharing good times and making new memories. She loved having her grandchildren for long visits, teaching them how to catch and clean fish, dance, and more importantly how to play Dirty Clubs and even take their money doing so. With her siblings encouragement, she became an avid Packer fan (much to the dismay of her Bears fan offsprings and 1 Viking fan) which was amusing as she never had followed football before. While not busy making her many quilts, she would never miss a chance for playing dirty clubs, pinochle or canasta, or going fishing, especially at Lazy Island, or following the Chemeliski Brothers or Nuto Band with her beloved sister Peg to dance together all night long, only sitting down when the band took a break. Known as “Aunt Dot” to many nieces and nephews, she, often along with sister Peg (commonly referred to as the Blister Sisters), would always respond to a request for help, whether it be painting or staining a house, moving to a new house or help in setting up accounting systems in a dental office or a heavy construction office in California, with Korbel and Old Crow provided. Her energy, zest for life and her infectious smile is deeply missed but fondly remembered.

She is survived by daughters Diane (Richard) Gilker, Debbie Numbers; grandchildren Tammy (Jason) Frossard, Ryan (Katherine) Carlson, Kristin (Zakk) Hunter; great-grandchildren Alysa Bennett, Dane Frossard, Nora and Emery Carlson, and Phoenix and Roary Hunter.

Predeceased by parents and siblings Don Dundas, Myva Smith, Pauline “Peg” Bemis, Richard “Dick” Saxby and “Bud” George Saxby. Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, December 5th at Crazy Times from 2-4 pm Visitation will be Friday, December 10th, at 11AM at Appleyard’s Home for Funerals in Rice Lake, WI with memorial service beginning at noon.

A special note of gratitude for the nursing staff on the Eagle wing at River Bluff Nursing Home for the care and kindness shown for her these last years.

Last Update: Dec 01, 2021 12:26 pm CST