Dorothy Ann (Skindelien) Freese

Dorothy Ann (Skindelien) Freese, 90, of Willmar, died on Thursday December 19th at Bethesda North Pointe in New London. Memorial service will be Monday January 6th at 11:00 am, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Willmar.  Visitation will be Sunday January 5th from 3-5:00 pm, at Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar and one hour prior to the service at the church.  Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery in Willmar.  Memorials are preferred to an organization of donor’s choice.  Funeral arrangements are with Harvey Anderson & Johnson Funeral Home.  www.hafh.org 

   Dorothy Ann Freese was born at home to Sam and Myrtle (Foshager) Skindelien on July 6, 1934, in Arctander Township.  She was baptized and confirmed at East Norway Lake Lutheran Church in rural New London.  She grew up in the rural Pennock area where she attended District 69 school and graduated from New London High School in 1952.

   On September 12, 1954, she married Joe Freese at East Norway Lake Lutheran Church.  They had two children, Nancy and Brian. Dorothy worked at Sunburg Creamery where she met Joe, they moved to Bird Island and she worked at Bird Island Bank.  They moved to Willmar in 1968 and she worked at the District Office of the American Lutheran Church for 20 years, then at Bethesda in accounting for 12 years. She became an AIM (Associate in Ministry) through the ACL Lutheran Church which she applied for and was granted.  Dorothy was active at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Bird Island and Calvary Lutheran Church in Willmar, serving as ALCW president, involved in Circle and Bible Study, taught Bible School and Sunday School.  She also served on the Deaconess Board, Altar Guild and offering money counter.

   Dorothy enjoyed playing all card games, especially Bridge, enjoyed making lefse, doughnuts and her great chocolate chip cookies.  Dorothy enjoyed watching all sports, her favorite was the MN Lynx.  Dorothy sewed and quilted, giving quilts to granddaughters and great-grandchildren.  She spent time researching and looking through cemeteries to gather genealogy information about she and Joe’s families, including Freese, Skindelien, Hauge and Foshager family histories.  Dorothy enjoyed playing with her granddaughters and attended all their sporting and school events.  There were Christmas Eve granddaughter sleep overs with toad-in-the-hole for breakfast Christmas morning.  One of the most fun, was the annual Freese Fritz Girls Trip, the first one took place in 1987 and annually thereafter, the trips included a different activity each year, some were Twins and Saint games, canoeing the St. Croix, water park, tubing down the river, wall climbing, Escape room, especially fun was the tree house trip in Burtrum. In 2024, the “Girls Trip” was her 90th birthday party in July.  Dorothy and Joe traveled to Norway twice, Alaska, Hawaii and many bus trips.  She loved the Mystery Trips, as she didn’t care where they went, just got on the bus and went.  She loved her Amtrak trip to Holden Village.  Dorothy followed her Godmother’s advice, “why stay home and dust if you can go out and have a good time.”

   Dorothy is survived by her children, Nancy (David) Fritz, Brian (Pam) Freese, both of Willmar; granddaughters, Laurel (Ross Moren) Fritz, Erin (Tommy) Graves, Carlie (Jacob) Margarit, Caitlin (Dan St. Aubin) Fritz, Rebecca (Chris Code) Freese, Allison (Mitch) Johnson and great grandchildren, Hugo Moren, Phoebe Moren, Ivy Graves, Rosie Johnson, Cameron Graves.  Also surviving is her sister, Verona Thompson; sister-in-law, Norma Skindelien; many nieces, nephews and friends. 

   Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Joe in 2015, her parents, brother, Harlow, and brother-in-law, Hubert.

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