A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial for Dorothy Ann Mergen, 92, of Estherville, will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 18, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Estherville with Father Paul Kelly officiating. Interment will be held at a later date at St. Michael’s Catholic Cemetery, Whittemore. Dorothy passed away at her home in Estherville on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Visitation will be from 4-6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 17, at the Henry-Olson Funeral Chapel in Estherville.
Dorothy Ann Mergen, was born on a farm near Whittemore, Iowa on April 16, 1932 to A. Curtis and Mary (Conley) Quinn.
She graduated from Whittemore High School. Dorothy then worked for Northwestern Bell Telephone in Algona, as a long-distance operator. On May 1, 1950, she was united in marriage to Clem Mergen. The newlyweds made their home in Ringsted and later moved to West Bend. In 1967, they moved to Estherville.
Dorothy is a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Estherville, where she served on the St. Patrick’s School Board and Peace and Justice Committee. Dorothy has been a lifelong activist in the Democratic Party. She was also a member of the Estherville Parks and Recreation Board. She worked at ILCC and The Estherville Daily News. Dorothy served as the Emmet County recorder for 18 years. After her retirement she continued working in the community as a volunteer. She was especially active on the Emmet County Conservation Foundation Board as a volunteer at Peterson Point Historic Farmstead. She helped with the Dinner Date Program and was a member of the VFW Auxiliary.
Left to cherish Dorothy’s memory are her children, Mark and his wife, Joanne of Leawood, Kansas; Jim and his wife, Belinda of Frisco, Texas; Phil and his wife, Anna of Omaha, Nebraska; Nick and his wife, Cindy of Waxahachie, Texas; Chris and his wife, Rhoda of McKinney, Texas; Mary Mergen of Pittsboro, Indiana; Beth Brown and her husband, Darrin of Estherville; Tony and his wife, Cathy of Urbandale, Iowa; 19 grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren.
Dorothy is preceded in death by her parents and her husband Clem.
Online condolences may be left for Dorothy’s family at HenryOlsonFuneral.com