Dorothy T Denkhoff

Dorothy T Denkhoff, 98, of Bancroft, IA, formerly of Moline, IL passed away November 7, 2022, at Accura Health Care of Bancroft. A memorial mass is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Bancroft, IA. An additional mass of intention will be held at 8:00 a.m. on December 22, 2022, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Moline, IL. Inurnment will take place at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Davenport, IA, at a later date in the spring of 2023.

Dorothy Louise Tillotson Denkhoff was born August 25,1924 in Moline, Illinois, to Converse and Mildred Larson Tillotson.

She spent summers in her younger years with her father, Converse (known as Connie) in Moline, where he owned a General Motors dealership.

Dorothy married Lawrence J. (Bud) Denkhoff on September 9, 1950, in Moline at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. In 1953, Dorothy and Bud moved to Durango, Colorado, where she worked at the store Bud managed, as well as at the Diamond Circle Gift Shop. She was active at St. Columbus Catholic Church and served as vice-chairperson of the LaPlata County Democratic Party. She and Bud enjoyed fishing in the Colorado mountains and traveling, even pulling their RV all the way to Alaska.

In 1979, they moved to Sun City, Arizona, where her Aunt Ellen Gray (I) Grotenhouse and cousin Ellengray (II) Grotenhouse both lived. She worked as a cashier and sales associate at Dillard's Department Store, and enjoyed knitting, sewing, craft work, and golf. She and Bud never had children, and Bud died April 24, 2004, in Sun City, Arizona.

After Bud's death, Dorothy returned to Moline, Illinois, living on her own in an apartment until she was 92. Her stepmother Stella Tillotson and many relatives and friends lived in the Moline area. 
In May 2017, Dorothy moved to Bancroft, Iowa, to be near family Charlie and Ellengray (III) Gutzman Kennedy. Residing in independent living at Accura HealthCare, she loved knitting stocking caps for friends, staff, and family, shipping them all over the country. Dorothy kept up with current events and politics and was firm in her opinions on such matters. She moved to the nursing wing in the fall of 2022, where she received excellent care from staff and extended family. She will be missed by those she leaves behind to honor her memory.
 

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