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Dorothy A. (Deschler) Belongea of Lambertville, MI went home to her heavenly Father on Wednesday April 20, 2016. She was born on October 11, 1918 in Milwaukee, WI and grew up in Appleton, WI, where she attended St. Joseph’s grade and middle schools, graduating from Appleton High School in 1936. She worked in food service and was an accomplished seamstress, but the job she loved the most was being a fantastic mom and grandma. She will be remembered by her family and friends as a loving, faithful, independent, beautiful soul with a smile that lit up her face and an adventurous spirit that helped her live life to the fullest right to the end.

She married Loyal J. Belongea on November 26, 1942. They were married over 51 years before he died in April of 1994. They were parents and grandparents of seven children, 21 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren, and one great-great granddaughter.

Dorothy enjoyed nothing more than being surrounded by her large, boisterous family. In her later years, she moved to Eaglestone Retirement Village where she regularly participated in its many activities, especially playing 31 and Bingo with her friends. She travelled to Europe three times, to Assisi, the Holy Land, Disney World, Niagara Falls, Mexico, Canada, and many U.S. states including New York. She also took a Caribbean cruise with her sisters. Dorothy’s other interests included crossword puzzles, reading, making Barbie and Cabbage Patch doll clothes, and loving on her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A long-time member of St. Clement Catholic Church, Dorothy was a former lector and belonged to the Rosary Alter Society. She was also a professed member of the Secular Franciscan Order since 1962, the Father Solanus Guild, and the Curcillo Movement. During her family’s earlier years in Kaukauna, she was a member of St. Mary’s, and she served a term as president of the American Legion Auxiliary.

Dorothy will be dearly missed by her children, Beth Ziarnik, Ronald (Carol), Mary Jo Belongea, Susan Lawrence, Paul (Mary Patricia), Aimee (Steven) Fish, and Michele (Michael) Zraik., and all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She will also be missed by her sisters Ruth Fumal and Donnis (Martin) VanDomelen and her in-laws Rita Seering, Myron (Elaine) Belongea, Marion Rife, Marge Belongea, Mae Belongea, Ruth Vanderloop, Sylvia Robinson, and George Belongea, and many nieces and nephews

Dorothy is preceded in death by her husband Loyal, her parents, Edward and Elizabeth (Nilles) Deschler, her father and mother-in-law, Isaac and Ella Belongea, her sons-in-law John Lawrence and James Ziarnik, and grandson Ryan Kloster. She is also preceded in death by her sisters and brother, Marie (Fred) Manzagol, Lois (George) Krueger, Inez (Douglas) Nichols, Edward (Evelyn) Deschler, and brothers and sisters-in-laws, Franklin Fumal, Edward Belongea, Joseph Rife, Richard Belongea, Kenneth Vanderloop, Harold (Doris) Belongea, Robert Seering, Jerome (Laverne) Belongea, Joan (Richard) Lesselyoung, Frances Belongea, and two infant brothers.

Visitation will be from 3-8 pm Sunday, April 24, 2016, at the Michael W. Pawlak Funeral Home, 1640 Smith Rd. (at Jackman) Temperance, MI where a wake service will be held at 7 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, April 25, 2016, at 10:00 am at St. Clement Catholic Church, 3030 Tremainsville Rd., Toledo, where she will lie in state after 9:00 am. Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital or St. Clement Catholic Church. www.pawlakfuneralhome.com