On Saturday, September 11, Dorothy M. (Dahl) Stein , loving wife and mother of three daughters, passed away at age 92. Dorothy was born and raised in Park Ridge, IL, where she was graduated from Maine Township High School. She received a BA from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, in physical education, biology and Norwegian. Later in life, she earned a Masters degree from University of Illinois Chicago in Urban Planning and Policy.
Dorothy was a very proud Scandinavian. Her first trip to Norway was in 1947 with her granny Lilla, using money she had saved from working summers at a MN family resort called Hunky Dory. She returned to Norway for the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo and stayed for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Finland. (She returned to Norway to visit friends and relatives 12 more times, including leading a family group of 11 for the 1994 Winter Olympics!).
Her first job after college was teaching in the American school in Oslo, where she also organized a Girl Scout troop. After returning from Norway, Dorothy was a volunteer trainer for national Girl Scouts in Kenosha. She married Robert Stein, also from Park Ridge, and moved to Glen Ellyn in 1956. While raising her daughters, she was a board member and troop leader for Girl Scouts of DuPage, American Red Cross water safety instructor, field guide for Morton Arboretum and a substitute teacher at Glenbard schools. Her many local Scouts still remember her kindness and positive influence. Dorothy loved to ski, swim, sail, ice skate, hike, sing, bird watch and plant wildflowers. She loved bright blue skies, the moon shining in her window at night, pontoon rides and all family gatherings.
Her love for her Norwegian granny led to another of her passions: social programs for the elderly. After the Older Americans act (Title VII) in 1973, many local entities started new programs. From June 1974-1983 Dorothy was the first director of the county Hot Meals for Senior Citizens program and director of the GE Senior Services Center. In the mid 1970's she helped develop the DuPage Senior Citizens Council. She also served on the first boards of Senior Home Sharing, Ecumenical Support Services for the Elderly (ESSE) adult day care, and Association of Lutheran Older Adults (ALOA). Dorothy became Volunteer Services Coordinator of the DuPageCounty Human Services department focusing on the elderly. She later served as Director of Gerontological Ministries for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), and coordinator of Sr. Adult ministries at Grace Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn.
Dorothy’s husband, Bob, passed away this year on July 10. She is survived by three daughters: Ginny Stein, Mia Stein-Kodzik (Bill Kodzik) and Carol Asselmeier. She adored her four grandchildren: Becky (Nick) Nelson, Carrie Asselmeier, Charlie Asselmeier and Sam Kodzik, as well as her great-granddaughters, Abby and Lilly Nelson. Dorothy was loved and cherished by her family, friends and all who knew her. She will be dearly missed.
A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, October 23, 2021, at Grace Lutheran Church, 493 Forest Avenue, Glen Ellyn, IL, beginning with a Memorial Gathering at1:30 PM, a Funeral Service at 2 PM with reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago https://www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/en/donate/donate.html (choose tribute gift) or Grace Lutheran Church https://www.graceglenellyn.org/donate.html