Dolores “Dolly” V. Kleinhans
Dolores “Dolly” V. Kleinhans, age 95, of Chilton, entered eternal life on July 19, 2023, at St. Paul Villa in Kaukauna. She was born on July 3, 1928, in Johnsburg, WI, daughter of the late Alfred and Josephine Loehr. On October 6, 1949, she married James Kleinhans and they had seven children. They lived in Plymouth, Jericho and Chilton where they made many lifelong friends.
Dolly was a storyteller, often sharing tales of her years growing up. She enjoyed her childhood and the time she spent with her family and friends at home in Johnsburg and at their cottage on Lake Winnebago. Her life was centered around family and belief in God. They prayed the rosary, on their knees, every night during Lent. They didn’t have a telephone and listened to their favorite programs on the radio at night. Dolores recounted all the chores that needed to be done but cherished the time they spent working together. She passed that work ethic on to her children. Dolly attended Chilton High School. She became ill with St. Vitus Dance and spent a month in the hospital her senior year. Dolores was awarded her high school diploma in the hospital.
She felt her life really began when she had children – the rest was the foundation. Dolores always wanted a large family. Her life revolved around her family, her church, and her community. She was very involved in her children’s and grandchildren’s activities, including acting as a Boy Scout Den Mother and Camp Fire Girl leader. Dolly loved playing games, and spending time with her family and friends. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren brought her great joy! She loved their visits, phone calls and cards and was always interested in hearing “what they were up to”. Her faith and church community were very important to Dolores. She spent countless hours at the Good Shepherd Adoration Chapel, as well as participating in the Christian Mothers and D of I. She enjoyed giving back to her community through volunteering. St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army, the Salvatorian Missions, Meals on Wheels, Leaven, and the Red Cross all benefited from her dedication. Dolly also worked at Calumet Memorial Hospital. She will be remembered most for her smile and infectious laughter when working or visiting with others.
Dolores is survived by her children: Robert (Kathy) Kleinhans of Pound, Charles (Susan) Kleinhans of Chilton, Janet (Patrick) Bailey of Reno, NV, Mary (Joseph) Kiefer of Suamico, Joseph (Ann) Kleinhans of McFarland, James (Mary) Kleinhans of Columbus, and John (Wendy) Kleinhans of Chilton; 23 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
Dolores was preceded in death by her husband, James; her parents: Alfred and Jospehine (Gerhartz) Loehr; James’s parents: Clarence and Anna (Seichter) Kleinhans; a brother and his wife: Donald and Virginia Loehr; a sister-in-law and her husband: Polly and Maurus Meyer; her grandson: Nicholas Kleinhans; a step-granddaughter: Tisha Sterling; and a step-grandson: Justin Prochaska.
A mass of Christian Burial will be held to honor Dolores at 12:00 pm on Friday, August 4, 2023, at Good Shepherd Catholic Church (54 E. Main St.) in Chilton. Friends may call from 10:00 am until 11:45 am at the church on the day of service. Guests are encouraged to wear red in honor of Dolores’s favorite color. To watch a livestream of the service, see a recording of the service, or to view a memorial video in her honor, please click HERE (link available in near future).
The Kleinhans family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff and special friends at Uptown Commons in Chilton and St. Paul Villa in Kaukauna for their care, compassion and companionship in her last years.
Mom, you were such an inspiration to us. You loved us all for our unique personalities. You were our role-model, showing us how to be loving, strong, compassionate, empathetic and generous. You welcomed each in-law into our family and that gift was appreciated by all. We really cannot say enough good things about you. We will remember your words and do our darndest to live up to them: “Keep smiling, sing a lot and think good thoughts about everyone.” We love you and will miss you so much!
In lieu of flowers, a memorial will be established and distributed to Dolores’s favorite charities.