Kroehler, Dorothy Louise

Dorothy Louise (nee Edmund) Kroehler, 88, died Friday, January 2, 2009, surrounded by loving family at her home in Blacksburg, Virginia. Dorothy was born on November 15, 1920, in Ottumwa, Iowa, the daughter of Clarence Elmer Leonard Edmund and Esther Olivia (nee Anderson) Edmund.

She married Reverend Allen Everett Kroehler on September 3, 1948, also in Ottumwa; Allen survives, and is the son of Franklin Philip Kroehler and Camilla “Mille” Edna (nee Brahs) Kroehler of Henderson, Minn.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Marjorie Ruth (nee Edmund) JaCoby, of San Diego, Calif. Dorothy is survived by a large, diverse and widespread family who hold in common their love and admiration for her; daughter, Brynn Andrea Schmitt and son-in-law, Randal Alfred Schmitt, of Mansfield, Pa., and their children, Daniel Allen Woodrow Schmitt, Johanna Lauren (nee Schmitt) Brown, and Nora Camilla Schmitt; son, Peter Allen Kroehler and daughter-in-law, Deborah Houser Kroehler, of Partlow, Va.; daughter, Carolyn Joy Kroehler and son-in-law, Michael Dalziel Hughes, of Blacksburg, Va., and their children, Camilla Helen Kroehler Hughes and Edmund James Kroehler Hughes; and son, Jonathan Edmund Kroehler and daughter-in-law, Kyle Michele Kroehler, of Fishers, Ind., and their children, Joshua Hylton Kroehler, Anderson Joseph Kroehler, and Hannah Irene Kroehler. Dorothy also is survived by her niece, Ann Karen (nee JaCoby) Willens, of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

Dorothy was regarded as a pioneer in early childhood education, serving as the director of the Lancaster County, PA, Full Day Full Year Head Start program from its inception in 1967. She became the education supervisor for the program in 1972 and provided training for both staff and parents through her retirement in 2001. The Head Start program grew dramatically over the decades, beginning with only 120 children and growing to over 900. Dorothy was instrumental in starting the Lancaster branch of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Shortly after her retirement, she was honored, with friend and colleague Ruth Jacobus, through the dedication of a Head Start facility in Lancaster (a renovated tobacco warehouse now housing four Head Start classrooms) called the Kroehler-Jacobus Head Start Center.

Even as her health waned in recent years, her love of children was one constant; a visiting young child, whether descendant, friend, or stranger, was sure to bring laughter and a broad smile to her face. Dorothy’s involvement in early childhood education began with her creation of a nursery school program at the Warminster (PA) United Church of Christ in 1959. When the family moved to Lancaster, Pa., she became director of the nursery school program at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ. Her work there made such an impression on a local pediatrician that, as a board member responsible for birthing Lancaster’s Head Start program, he tapped Dorothy to serve as director of the program.

Before her marriage, Dorothy trained to be a medical secretary and worked for a physician in Minneapolis, Minn.; as a secretary in the Navy recruiting office, also in Minneapolis; and as the secretary to the chief medical officer at the Naval Air Station in Ottumwa, Iowa, where she met her husband-to-be. She then served as the administrative assistant to the Dean at Long Beach City College, Calif.; as the secretary to the Dean at Gustavus Adolphus College, Minn.; as program secretary for the National Conference for Christians and Jews; and as the program secretary for the YWCA in Webster Groves, Mo.

Dorothy graduated in 1950 from the University of Minnesota with a BA in Psychology, then studied at the graduate level at Eden Theological Seminary, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Maryland.

Dorothy was a longtime member of St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in Lancaster, Pa., attending from 1964 through 2003. She was baptized on December 12, 1920, at the First Lutheran Church, Ottumwa, Iowa, by the Rev. Peter Olaf Bersell, and confirmed there fourteen years later. When she lived in Minneapolis she was a member of Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church. She joined Glade Church in Blacksburg, Va. in 2003.

Dorothy’s death was preceded by a number of hospitalizations, stays at a rehabilitation center, and home hospice care, and the family would like to express their deep appreciation for the kind and compassionate care she received from physicians, therapists, nurses, and aides in Blacksburg.

A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, January 5, 2009 at Glade Church, 1600 Glade Road, Blacksburg. The family will receive visitors at a reception with refreshments immediately after the service. Memorial donations (in lieu of flowers) can be made to the Building Fund at Glade Church.

When you have come to the edge Of all the light you know
And are about to step off Into the darkness of the unknown,
Faith is knowing one of two things will happen:
You will find something solid to stand on,
Or you will be taught to fly.
Bar LaJeunesse