Obituary of Dorothy J. Lempi

Dorothy J. Lempi, 88, of Duluth passed away peacefully Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, while at Benedictine Health Center. Dorothy was born in Duluth on March 20, 1928 to Alexander and Anna (Lewandowicz) Mantay. She attended Central High School, then worked at Northwestern Bell Telephone Comp. On Nov. 5, 1950 Dorothy married Roy Lempi. She helped him through Chiropractic College and occasionally worked in his office throughout his career. Dorothy was happiest in her role as mother and grandmother. Everyone in our family and her friends were entertained by her quick wit and mastery of the one liners. We all loved family dinners for holidays, birthdays and anniversaries. Her fruit pies were legendary. Dorothy enjoyed family trips and cruises. She was a PTA President at Central High School and was a frequent contributor to talk radio for years when she felt strongly about the issues. She enjoyed being part of her neighborhood sewing club for 50 years and was part of a golf league at Pike Lake. She was also a caller for bingo at the Duluth Heights Community Club. We enjoyed her singing around the house. Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 60 years, Dr. Roy Lempi; her son, Dr. Richard Lempi on Jan. 4, 2016; and her parents. She is survived by her two daughters, Kathy (Bob) DeRoche and Pat (Jeff) Eliason; nine grandchildren, Jenny (Damian) Erasmus, Dan (Katrina) DeRoche, Sarah (Bill) Haight, Nathan (Deanna) Lempi, Katie (Paavo) Bennett, Jessica Eliason, Kristin Eliason, Jeffrey Eliason and Melissa Eliason; 10 great-grandchildren; daughter-in-law, Pam Lempi. The family wishes to express our gratitude to the staffs at Westwood and Safe Harbor for the excellent care they provided. Dorothy was not a showy person but she did enjoy wearing hats of which she had many. Finally, Dorothy was famous for the three kisses she gave to each family member which meant "I love you." At our mothers request we will be having a family gathering to celebrate her life at a later date.