Lasting Memories

Dorothy Harriet Stenstedt
Oct. 5, 1930-May 19, 2022
Pleasanton, California

Dorothy Harriet Smith was born in Oroville, California, the daughter of Bert Laraway Smith, Jr., and Emily Harriet Strother. Dorothy grew up in Berkeley, graduating from Berkeley High School in 1948. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1952, where she was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She married Erik Stenstedt in 1954, and during their fifty-two years of marriage, Erik and Dorothy lived in Sweden, California, Belgium, Iran, and back in California.

After a short illness, Dorothy died quietly at home in Pleasanton, California, surrounded by the love and care of family and friends. She is survived by her four children, Emmie (Peter), Anders (Azar), Lars (Tirra), and Katarina (Gene); her nine grandchildren, Allie (Adam), Sophia (Georgie), Kristina, Mariko, Darius, Cyrus, Austin, Annika, and Ariane; and her two great-grandchildren, Perrin and Tobin.

Dorothy loved her life, and she lived it to the fullest and in the brightest colors. She was smart, funny, loving, and generous. She was a steadfast friend and a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, always taking an interest in what was important to others. A generous gift-giver, she loved to knit designer sweaters and create quilts for her family and friends. She touched us all in thousands of ways, and we are all better people because this special woman was in our lives and loved each of us uniquely.