Obituary of Dorothy Nan Stish

Stish, Dorothy Nan (Peterson)

Age 94, of St Anthony Village, MN, passed away quietly on Thursday, April 3, 2025 following an extended illness. Born on August 2, 1930 in Faribault, MN, she was the third of five children of Carl and Lillian (Anderson) Peterson. Her early childhood was spent on the grounds of Shattuck Military Academy where her father was a baker. The family moved to Minneapolis where she attended grade school and graduated from Roosevelt High School, class of 1948. After high school, she supported herself with various office jobs, eventually befriending a group of GIs studying at the University of Minnesota, which included her future husband, Richard Stish. A delicious and much appreciated Thanksgiving dinner she made for these bachelors stirred the beginnings of a romance.

Richard and Dorothy married in 1954 and resided in Prospect Park where they frequently entertained and enjoyed a vibrant group of Richard’s academic brethren. After their first daughter was born, they settled in St Anthony Village to raise their three girls. A talented seamstress, with a love of all fiber arts, she made many of her daughters’ clothes, taught courses in sewing lingerie, learned to weave, made many costumes for the girls dance recitals and developed a love for quilting that endured the rest of her life. She was devoted to her daughters, volunteering at their schools, shuttling them to dance, theater, and piano lessons while working various part-time jobs to support their lessons and her “fabric addiction”.

Avid campers, Dorothy and Richard turned their VW bus into a camper van and traveled extensively with the family around the US, eventually buying a lot on Mound Lake where they continued to camp. She actively volunteered for many organizations including the Weavers Guild, Friends of the Library, Saint Paul Public Schools, MN Quilters and the MN Historical Society.

Preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Richard; parents Carl and Lillian Peterson and siblings Dennis, Dona Dillon, Darrell and Darcy.

She is survived by her three daughters, Laura (John) Oyen of St Paul, Carla Stish of Charlotte, NC and Sandra (Peter) Chute of Minneapolis; two granddaughters, Evelyn (Robert) Steeples and Rachel (Shawn) Bradley; three great-grandchildren and many extended family members.

We are deeply appreciative of her St Anthony neighbors and of the care she received from Catholic Eldercare in her final months. She will be memorialized in a private, family ceremony at Fort Snelling. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Minnesota Public Radio, the MN Historical Society or the charity of your choice.