Dolores Rudolf, of Montevideo, died peacefully and with grace on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at the Clara City Care Center at the age of 85. Memorial services will be conducted on Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 2:00 P.M. at the Anderson-TeBeest Funeral Home Chapel in Montevideo.
Dolores Regina (Morseth) Rudolf was born on September 24, 1927 in Milan, MN to Theodore and Agnes (Miller) Morseth. She graduated from Milan High School in 1946. Following high school, she worked in a Montevideo dress shop. Then, with suitcase in hand, she took the train to the big city (Minneapolis), where she worked and modeled at Dayton's Department Store. She would later reminisce about how much fun she had during those early years in Minneapolis.
In 1953 she was united in marriage to John Rudolf. They had two sons together: Thomas Scott, born in Minneapolis and James Blake, born in New Jersey.
The couple divorced in the mid-1960s, and Dolores gave custody of the boys to their father, believing he could provide them with more opportunities. She returned to Minneapolis and spent the next twenty-some years working in sales at Powers, JCPenney's and Snyder's.
Dolores moved to Montevideo and bought her little house on South 12th Street in 1987. She spent many months improving it, inside and out. Then, with that project completed, she helped open the jewelry department at Monte's first Walmart store.
In retirement she dedicated herself to her hobbies of gardening (both flowers and vegetables), sewing, kitties, attending concerts, and providing good home cooking and baking for her two bachelor sons.
Dolores was very proud of her independence and the fact that at age 82 she was still mowing her own lawn and taking no regular medication. She was able to enjoy her little house for all but the final five months of her life, which she spent being pampered by the staff at the Clara City Care Center.
In addition to her sons Thom of St. Paul, MN and Jim of Minneapolis, MN, Dolores is survived by her sister Orpha (and Richard) Bissell of Santa Barbara, CA; her brother Robert (and Barb) Morseth of Montevideo; and a niece and three nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents.