Lasting Memories

Dorathy Lois Bartelson
Dec. 18, 1933-Feb. 3, 2019
PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA

A Pleasanton resident for over 50 years, Dotty passed peacefully on Sunday, February 3 while under Hospice Care at Queen’s Care Home in Pleasanton.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Hobart and Bertha Putnam of Hartley, IA; sister Thyra McElvogue of Hartley, IA; sister Carol Sanford and brother in law Bruce (Sandy) Sanford of Des Moines, IA and brother in law David Bartelson of Soquel, CA.

She is survived by her husband, Albert “Larry” Bartelson of Pleasanton, CA; daughter Stacey Romero and granddaughters Franchesca and Alexa Romero of Charlotte, NC; son Brent Bartelson, daughter in law Ann Bartelson and granddaughter Teresa Bartelson of Fort Dodge, IA; sister in law Audree Tuttle of Campbell, CA, and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins in the San Francisco Bay Area and Des Moines, IA area.

Dotty was born on December 18, 1933 in Hartley, IA. She graduated from Hartley High School in 1952 and from the University of Iowa in 1956 with a degree in Education. She was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority, and a proud member of the University of Iowa Scottish Highlanders Drum and Bagpipe Corps, which performed on the Ed Sullivan Show and also travelled and performed in Scotland and Europe.

After graduating college, Dotty taught in Southern California in the Huntington Beach School District, at the US Air Force Base in Madrid, Spain, at Sausalito Elementary in Sausalito, CA and at Livermore Elementary in Livermore, CA.

While teaching in Sausalito and living in San Francisco, she reunited with Larry, a fellow graduate of Hartley High School. They were married in 1963 at the Swedenborgen Church in San Francisco, CA. She retired from teaching in 1967 to become a stay at home mom.

Dotty was active in the Pleasanton Presbyterian Church and was a member of the Mulberry Chapter that supported Children’s Hospital of Oakland, CA. She enjoyed traveling and loved music and the arts.

Memorial Service on Saturday, March 30 at Lynnewood United Methodist Church, where Dotty was one of the founding members. Her remains will be cremated and interred at the Pioneer Cemetery in Pleasanton, CA.