Dorothy M. Blesch, age 101 died on Wednesday, May 21, 2014, at Living Tree Estates, Greenville. 

She was born on September 9, 1912, in the Town of Maple Creek, daughter of the late Leonard and Molly (Kieckhoefer) Merickle. Dorothy moved to Milwaukee in 1922, where she graduated from Lincoln High School in 1929. She worked for the Wisconsin Telephone Company for 9 years, first as an operator and then as a service representative. Dorothy married Valentine Blesch in Milwaukee March 19, 1938. The moved to Maple Creek and lived on her family farm. They farmed for 25 years before moving to New London, where they owned and operated the North Side Beer Depot till 1968. Val preceded her in death in April 1973. Dorothy had a passion for flowers and belonged to the Wolf River Garden Club and served as president, the Fifty Fiver Homemakers Club and the New London Historical Society, where she was the hostess and took care of the flowers at the octagon house. 

She enjoyed traveling; she did both here and abroad. Dorothy was close to and loved all her big family, aunts, uncles and cousins. She was very proud of her sons, grandsons, and great-grandchildren. She is survived by her son Stanley (Christine) Blesch, New London; three grandsons, Edmund (Remy), Eric (Susan), and Stanley Jr. (Sandra); five great-grandchildren: Gerald, Curtis, Alexander, Thomas and Sarah. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, son Edmund, two brothers a baby Don and Lon, nephews, Douglas and Don Merickle. 

Funeral services for Dorothy will be held on Friday, May 23, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. at Cline & Hanson Funeral Home, New London with Chaplain Brad McIntyre of Southern Care Hospice officiating. Burial will be in the New Maple Creek Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Thursday, May 22, 2014, from 4-7 p.m. and also on Friday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service. The family would like to extend a special thank you to hospice at Living Tree Care Givers for their kind treatment during Dorothy’s final days.