Dorothy Ahrens Persson, age 99, of Hayward, WI passed away on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at her home at Waters Edge Assisted Living.

Dorothy was born March 1, 1921, at the family farm, in Redwood Falls, MN the daughter of John and Lucile Ahrens.  She was raised in Chicago, IL where she graduated from Lakeview High School and then attended business college for one year.  She met her future husband, Edwin, in Chicago.  The romance was almost doomed when he asked her to hike the fence at the local amusement park.  But on November 11, 1942, Dorothy was joined in marriage to Edwin Persson in Chicago.  Together they moved to Florida where Edwin had been stationed with the U.S. Army during WWII.  Dorothy worked as a secretary for the military during the war and upon her husband’s return from overseas they returned to Chicago where they began a family.  Dorothy was a homemaker raising her son and daughter.  Every three weeks every summer the family would pack into the car and travel the United States.  When the kids graduated from high school, she returned to work.  She was employed as a secretary for a local fire department and then a local school system in the Chicago area.  She was proud of her skills, being able to type 100 words a minute.  After retirement, Dorothy and Edwin moved to Bradenton, FL for several years and then purchased a cabin with their son on Big Sissabagama Lake near Hayward, WI.  They would summer in Hayward and winter in Florida.  They had many travel adventures in those years.  They made summer trips to Canada to spend a month with her daughter and family for sailing adventures.  In 2006, they made Hayward their year-round residence.  Dorothy enjoyed gardening and flowers, golfing, reading, crossword puzzles and fishing.  She loved a good joke, scary novels, and rollercoaster rides.  She was an excellent dinner companion with a quirky sense of humor who liked to partake in a Brandy Manhattan or a nice glass of wine.  She was an outstanding mother and mother-in-law.  She lived and loved well. 

Dorothy is survived by her children, Michael (Deanna) Persson of Hayward, WI and Pattie (Peter) Baker of Comox, Vancouver Island, British Columbia; three grandchildren, Christopher Persson, Dylan and Michael Baker; and one great grandchild, Cash.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Edwin; parents; and one brother and one sister.

A private interment will be held at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spooner, WI at a later date. 

Last Update: Jun 01, 2020 6:53 am CDT