Delores Klein

Delores “Doty” Ilene (Leonard) Klein of Rochester, MN passed away peacefully on January 24, 2022 just shy of her 76th birthday surrounded by loved ones in her home.   Doty was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, a rare neurological disorder, in January 2022.  The progression of the disease was faster than expected and she is leaving behind many broken hearts, but also, many great memories, as she departed from this world.

Survived by husband of 15 yrs Hank Klein; son, Mike (Gloria) Magruder; grandchildren, Abby, Melissa, and Zack (Zumbro Falls, MN); son, Brian Magruder (Minneapolis, MN); granddaughter, Briana Magruder (Glendale, Arizona); daughter, Christi (Scott Williams); grandchildren, Lauren and Nolan Williams (Shoreview, MN); sister and brother-in-law, Anna Mae and Merl Norman (Zumbro Falls, MN); sister and brother in-law, Katie and Dick Roberts (Aurora, CO); step-children, Tom and Helen Klein (South St. Paul, MN), Cindy and Tony Williams (Cottage Grove, MN), Tim Klein and Jeanette Muzio (Boulder, CO), Ted and Kathryn Klein (Hudson, WI), Christine and Matt Lindeman (Inver Grove Heights, MN), Kris Lindstrom (Lakeville, MN), Carla and Tom Waite (Apple Valley, MN), Connie and Dale Doocy (Shoreview, MN); and 18 Klein grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Preceded in death by father, Carroll Leonard; mother, Virginia Leonard; brothers, Kenny and Gene Leonard; sister, Jo Ann Zarbock (Leonard); and brother in law, Allen Zarbock; nephew, Allen Zarbock Jr; and niece, Patty Ann Zarbock; step-daughter, Carrie (Klein) Lindstrom; step great-granddaughter, Kaylan Klein.

Doty was born February 1, of 1946 in Loomis Nebraska where she attended a one-room schoolhouse until her family moved to the Fort Morgan, Colorado area.  Doty relocated to Minnesota in 1965 and made Rochester her home.  In the early years in Minnesota, Doty helped neighborhood families by running a daycare, she completed a dental hygienist program and worked in that field before starting a home cleaning business that she ran for a number of years.  Doty then worked with Mayo Clinic for 22 yrs until her retirement in April 2013.  At Mayo, Doty shined her bright light on co-workers and patients she befriended over her many years of service where she often brought in feasts of home cooked gourmet food, fresh bread, and anything else she thought would help someone have a better day.  Doty was known for bringing home Mayo patients she got to know.  If Doty became aware that someone was in town alone, they were brought to her house for home cooking and sometimes even a place to stay.  Doty fulfilled her dream of seeing the world and enjoyed traveling to see her children while they served in the Peace Corps in Honduras and Poland.  Doty also traveled Europe, South America, New Zealand, and she treated herself for her 60th birthday with a solo back packing trip to Africa.  Doty was an inspiration to everyone that was fortunate enough to cross paths with her.

Doty met the love of her life, Hank Klein, in 2001 and they married in 2007.  These two peas in a pod got more projects done in their 21 years than most couples do in a lifetime.  Hank and Doty were all about family and spent all their time with family and close friends.

Please join the family in a Celebration of Life at Mahn Family Funeral Home, 1624 37th St. NW, Rochester, MN 55901 on Friday, February 18, 2022 from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation. You can follow this link to Doty's page. http://bit.ly/DotyK