Dorothy R. Simpson Litscher

Dorothy Ruth Simpson Litscher, 97, of Fond du Lac, died Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at Hospice Home of Hope. Dorothy was born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont on October 4, 1920, the third child of Wilder Arthur and Ruth Hoffman Simpson. She lived in Vermont on the ancestral farm near Lyndonville until enlisting in the Women’s Army Corps in 1943. She attended a one room school and then Lyndon Institute and Lyndon Normal School. While in the WACS she met and later married Howard P. Litscher, moved to Milwaukee and in 1950 to Fond du Lac. They had 5 children, Erika Romito (Bob), Barbara Schneeberger (John), Phillip Litscher, Charlotte Fatke (Dan) and Kenneth (stillborn). She is survived by all of her children, nine grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.



Dorothy was a passionate follower of politics. She was very outspoken with her liberal views and The Reporter published her letters on many topics over the years. She was a member of The League of Women Voters, president for 2 terms, and led studies on pesticides that led to banning spraying of pesticides at schools. She volunteered at the Senior Center for over 25 years as Friday receptionist, peer counselor, library aide and participated in an intergenerational program with junior high students and seniors. Among her many talents were gardening, she was an inveterate puller of weeds wherever she saw then. She loved to share her knowledge of plants and was forever dividing her own and giving them away to friends and strangers, Her life-long love of reading was evident in her support of the library and was passed down to everyone in the family as was her love of Scrabble and other board games. She was employed at True Value Hardware.



Dorothy loved new experiences; her 75th birthday gift was a ride in a hot air balloon which provided lots of family stories. She traveled extensively and made frequent trips to Vermont and Canada; favorite trips were to England and Ireland, Hawaii, Florida, Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, Yellowknife, and Resolute Bay, Canada. Although she lived in Wisconsin most of her life she considered herself a Vermonter always.



Dorothy delighted in her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She made life changes on her own terms and lived life to its fullest. She was much loved by all her family and was known for her feisty approach to life. She will be missed by all who had the privilege to know her.



We thank the wonderful staff and volunteers at Hospice Home of Hope for helping to make the last months of her life as rich as the preceding 97 years.



The family will be holding a private memorial service.