Dorothy Alice Diercks, 89, Byron

Dorothy Alice Diercks, 89, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, at home surrounded by her loving family. Dorothy was born on Oct. 15, 1931, the daughter of Gladys and Victor Moreland. She, along with her parents and five siblings lived in Dodge Center, where she graduated from Dodge Center High School. 
Dorothy and David Peter (Pete) Diercks were married at the Little Brown Church in the Vale, in Nashua, Iowa, on Oct. 10, 1953. The couple lived in Rochester for several years before moving to Byron. They soon purchased a farm near Byron, the same farm where Dorothy has lived all these years. 
A hard worker all of her life, Dorothy spent her summers in the Twin Cities babysitting her cousin, Sonny Elias, while his parents who owned and operated a bar, worked long hours. Then as a young woman she and her sister would hitch hike from Dodge Center to Owatonna, where they worked weekends at a leather company.
Later Dorothy worked nights in the employee cafeteria at the Libby canning company in Rochester. She also was employed as a banquet waitress at the Holiday Inn Downtown, a job she very much enjoyed because several other Byron women also worked there. Pitching in together, the group made the hard work, fun. Dorothy loved working with people and provided wonderful customer service.
She worked at the Byron D&D Motor Mart and knew most of the people that came into the convenience store. Dorothy worked as a waitress/cook at CJ’s Cafe, also in Byron, where customers often requested to be seated at her tables because of her friendly personality and excellent service.    
In 1959, Dorothy and her husband Pete moved to a 50-acre farm located just south of Byron, where the couple raised their five children. They operated the farm for many years, investing and working with Polled Hereford cattle. Dorothy and Pete spent many an evening walking out to the pasture to talk to their herd.
Dorothy enjoyed life on the farm and especially the livestock. She had a soft spot in her heart for runt pigs. Often if a neighboring farmer had a runt piglet from a litter, they’d call Dorothy. She’d tenderly care for the piglet in her kitchen, where the runt would snuggle up to a wind up clock, a quart jar of warm water and a baby bottle with milk. The tiny piglets became her pets until they had grown enough to return home. 
There were several local farmers who would get together to play poker — Dorothy loved Saturday night poker with the boys. She seldom won big, but she always felt she came out ahead by building strong relationships with friends, neighboring farmers and their families — friendships that lasted all of her life. Dorothy was always thoughtful of others and put them first, a practice that she instilled in her children. 
For being a small woman, standing only 5’1” & 100 pounds soaking wet, Dorothy had a rather rough and tough side too. She loved to attend the loud and fast stock car races in Kasson  every Sunday evening.
She also knew how to handle a gun — she was a real sharpshooter! She would sit in the yard, on a five-gallon pail with a .22 rifle, shooting rats trying to eat the corn in the corn crib. The family is left with many amazing memories of Dorothy and her wonderful life, well lived.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents; husband; brothers, Victor Moreland and Stanley Moreland; sisters, Doris Hallaway and Francis Clark.
She is survived by her brother, Glen Moreland, Rochester, her children; Peter Diercks, Byron, Fred Diercks (Sherri), Shell Lake Wis., Ann Diercks (Laurie) Byron, Mike Diercks, Byron, Amy Diercks, Rochester. Four grandchildren; Dale Diercks (Crystal), Sue Diercks, Bryan Diercks (Sasha), Britney Conrad (Chris). Eight great-grandchildren; Cailey Diercks, Chase Diercks, Gage Denny, Elleanor Diercks, Fiona Diercks, Caleb Diercks, Hunter Conrad, Grayson Conrad.  
 
Visitation for Dorothy was held Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020 at Byron Funeral Home. A private funeral service was held on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, officiated by Pastor David Badgley. Burial was at Grandview Memorial Gardens in Rochester.
Memorials are suggested to the family.
Online condolences are welcome at www.byronfuneralhome.com.