1923
Dorothy
2015
Dorothy Aletha Thorley
January 20, 1923 — December 16, 2015
Munising / McMillan
Dorothy Aletha Thorley, age 92, of Munising and longtime McMillan area resident, died peacefully while surrounded by family late Wednesday morning, December 16, 2015 at the Munising Memorial Hospital. She was born in Lakefield Township, Michigan to Frederick and Sadie (Snowden) Scott. Dorothy graduated from McMillan High School in 1940. She married Wilford "Wig" Thorley on January 20, 1940 and they owned and operated the Thorley family farm in Lakefield Township. Owning the farm was more than a job, it was a loving lifestyle. The entire family worked hard together farming potatoes and caring for the cattle. Dorothy was a wonderful cook and baker, and her sugar cookies and lemon meringue pie were to "die for." She shared those talents with the families and workers at the farm. She made full meals from scratch to feed them all. Dorothy also opened her home to adult foster care and those residents became family and were loved by generations of her family. She was talented at knitting and craftwork, doing upholstery work with Wig, but her passion was sewing. Dorothy sewed for missions and family members, and loved the addition of new babies so she could sew for them. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Newberry, East Lakefield Homemakers Club, Order of the Eastern Star #364, Daughters of Rebekah, and Daughters of the Nile. Dorothy was often called feisty, and she and Wig enjoyed following the J.T. Dancers Softball team. They also wintered in Lake Placid, Florida for twenty years. They were married over fifty-eight years when Wig preceded her in death on September 12 1998. Dorothy moved to Munising in 1999 and worshiped at the Munising Baptist Church with her family. She enjoyed spending time with family, following Tigers baseball, and playing Scrabble, cards, and table games.
Dorothy is survived by her daughter - Dorothy Ann Mitchell of Munising; sons and daughters-in-law - Bruce and Donna Thorley of Portland, MI and Don and Carrie Thorley of Peshtigo, WI; son-in-law - Mike (Kathy) Derusha of Lansing; ten grandchildren - Scott (Theresa) Mitchell, Carol (Keith) Davenport, Beth Mitchell Yates, Amy (Chris) Kjaer, David Thorley, Kristi (Brandon) Smith, Michelle (Greg) Kingsley, Heidi (Kirk) Sempsrott, Kimberly (Jeremy) Tietyen, and Marianne (Thomas) Evancheck; twenty-one great-grandchildren - Heidi, Brandon, Laris, Landon, Kiefer, Keegan, Coble, Petra, James, Katie, Brandon, Easton, Kyle, Tristan, Carter, Leo, Sierra, Jacob, Benjamin, Caroline, and Michael; four great-great-grandchildren - Alexander, Carson, Luke, and Stella; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, infant sons Michael and Tom Thorley, daughter Win Derusha, sisters Esther Pelletier and Sadie Fountain, son-in-law Cliff Mitchell, and grandson-in-law Mike Yates.
Services will be held at the Bowerman Funeral Home on Saturday, December 19, 2015. Visitation will be from 12:00 noon until 1:00 p.m. Pastor Jason LaFlamme of the Munising Baptist Church will conduct Dorothy's funeral service at 1:00 p.m. A fellowship luncheon will follow at the Munising Baptist Church in Wetmore. Interment will be at the Forest Home Cemetery in Newberry at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday.
Dorothy Aletha Thorley, age 92, of Munising and longtime McMillan area resident, died peacefully while surrounded by family late Wednesday morning, December 16, 2015 at the Munising Memorial Hospital. She was born in Lakefield Township, Michigan to Frederick and Sadie (Snowden) Scott. Dorothy graduated from McMillan High School in 1940. She married Wilford "Wig" Thorley on January 20, 1940 and they owned and operated the Thorley family farm in Lakefield Township. Owning the farm was more than a job, it was a loving lifestyle. The entire family worked hard together farming potatoes and caring for the cattle. Dorothy was a wonderful cook and baker, and her sugar cookies and lemon meringue pie were to "die for." She shared those talents with the families and workers at the farm. She made full meals from scratch to feed them all. Dorothy also opened her home to adult foster care and those residents became family and were loved by generations of her family. She was talented at knitting and craftwork, doing upholstery work with Wig, but her passion was sewing. Dorothy sewed for missions and family members, and loved the addition of new babies so she could sew for them. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Newberry, East Lakefield Homemakers Club, Order of the Eastern Star #364, Daughters of Rebekah, and Daughters of the Nile. Dorothy was often called feisty, and she and Wig enjoyed following the J.T. Dancers Softball team. They also wintered in Lake Placid, Florida for twenty years. They were married over fifty-eight years when Wig preceded her in death on September 12 1998. Dorothy moved to Munising in 1999 and worshiped at the Munising Baptist Church with her family. She enjoyed spending time with family, following Tigers baseball, and playing Scrabble, cards, and table games.
Dorothy is survived by her daughter - Dorothy Ann Mitchell of Munising; sons and daughters-in-law - Bruce and Donna Thorley of Portland, MI and Don and Carrie Thorley of Peshtigo, WI; son-in-law - Mike (Kathy) Derusha of Lansing; ten grandchildren - Scott (Theresa) Mitchell, Carol (Keith) Davenport, Beth Mitchell Yates, Amy (Chris) Kjaer, David Thorley, Kristi (Brandon) Smith, Michelle (Greg) Kingsley, Heidi (Kirk) Sempsrott, Kimberly (Jeremy) Tietyen, and Marianne (Thomas) Evancheck; twenty-one great-grandchildren - Heidi, Brandon, Laris, Landon, Kiefer, Keegan, Coble, Petra, James, Katie, Brandon, Easton, Kyle, Tristan, Carter, Leo, Sierra, Jacob, Benjamin, Caroline, and Michael; four great-great-grandchildren - Alexander, Carson, Luke, and Stella; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, infant sons Michael and Tom Thorley, daughter Win Derusha, sisters Esther Pelletier and Sadie Fountain, son-in-law Cliff Mitchell, and grandson-in-law Mike Yates.
Services will be held at the Bowerman Funeral Home on Saturday, December 19, 2015. Visitation will be from 12:00 noon until 1:00 p.m. Pastor Jason LaFlamme of the Munising Baptist Church will conduct Dorothy's funeral service at 1:00 p.m. A fellowship luncheon will follow at the Munising Baptist Church in Wetmore. Interment will be at the Forest Home Cemetery in Newberry at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday.
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