Dorothy M. Kesterke

Dorothy M. Kesterke, 96, longtime resident of Berrien Springs, died Thursday, December 21, 2017, at Pine Ridge Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Stevensville.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, January 9, at Berrien Center Bible Church, with Pastor Bill Zebell officiating. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery, Berrien Springs. Friends are invited to visit from 6-8 p.m. Monday, January 8, at Allred Funeral Home, Berrien Springs, and to leave online messages at www.allredfuneralhome.com. Memorial donations may be made to Berrien Center Bible Church, Memesto, or Hospice at Home.

Dorothy was born July 2, 1921, in Mishawaka, Indiana, the daughter of Ira and Cecelia (Lutz) Halt. She married Edgar Kesterke June 16, 1940 and lovingly cared for their family. She worked as an administrative assistant for Berrien Springs Public Schools, and she was a member of the Eastern Star of Berrien Springs and the Helping Hands of Berrien Center Bible Church. Her leisure enjoyments included making quilts and oil painting, and she showed her thoughtfulness by baking cookies for those who came by, including the mailman, her newspaper delivery boy, and the employees of Don’s Automotive (the former Kesterke 66 Station). She also enjoyed spending time with family, especially grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Survivors include two sons: Richard (Shirley Griffendorf) Kesterke of Sun City West, Arizona, and Alan (Susan Krieger) Kesterke of Cheyenne, Wyoming; two daughters: Maryellen (Scott) Pluss of Berrien Springs and Laura Susan Kesterke of Salem, Oregon; nine grandchildren: Karl Kesterke, Kathy Beckman, Kris Kesterke, Matthew Kesterke, Amber Lange, Kevin Pluss, Aaron Gaalema, Courtney Wuethrich, and Brittany Gaalema; and 11 great-grandchildren.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Ed, in 2003; and by two brothers: Homer Halt and Ira Halt Jr.