Dorothy (Dot, Dottie) Jeanette Kallewaard, 93, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, died peacefully at home with her family on Sunday, January 14, 2018. Dorothy (Zander) Kallewaard was born on October 5, 1924, in Three Rivers, Michigan, the third of four children born to Oscar and Stella (Rosner) Zander. Dorothy’s parents were self-employed business owners of an awning and upholstery shop where they also produced furniture slipcovers. After graduating Three Rivers High School in 1942, Dorothy began working in the office of Armstrong International in Three Rivers.
Dottie loved to bowl and enjoyed a long bowling career with the Women’s International Bowling Congress (WIBC) that spanned over six decades. Dorothy relished her work with multiple positions throughout the league including bookkeeping and secretarial work. Dorothy maintained her game and bowling average to qualify for major league level play on a national level. She was also an instructor for the Youth Bowling Association at the Bowlatorium in Comstock, Michigan, where she encouraged and generated interest in the sport. As a member of the 500 Club, Dorothy participated in National Tournaments for Airway Lanes, Portage, Michigan.
For years Dorothy served her community and neighborhood by volunteering in door-to-door solicitations for the March of Dimes, Muscular Dystrophy, and Cystic Fibrosis Foundations. Her favorite charity was the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Home for Children.
Dorothy was a dressmaker and loved to create clothes. She often said that she “wished she had her mother’s extensive talent”. She made bowling uniforms for herself and her teammates for every one of her sponsored teams, and those uniforms were unique, sporty, and classy. Dorothy also made clothes for her husband, James (Jim), who always had something to wear including sports jackets and slacks. She was self -taught and had a great knack for originality. Dorothy also generously created homemade candies that her family and friends would look forward to receiving around Christmas time. In her mid thirties, Dorothy was diagnosed with glaucoma that gradually took her sight by the time she turned ninety years old.
Dorothy married James Kallewaard on October 31, 1946 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They continued living in Kalamazoo where they worked and proudly raised their family during more than 70 years of marriage. Jim and Dorothy traveled extensively during retirement and visited long-standing friends and family as well as many delightful places. Their favorite destination was Puerto Rico, which they visited several times. They traveled to Yuma, Arizona for over 30 winters and enjoyed the change of scenery. Dorothy loved being in Yuma, where she made many friends and felt very much at home.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband of 70 years, James Kallewaard, her son James, daughter Susan (in infancy), and her first husband, Edward Schlichter. Dorothy is survived by her 3 children Diana Kay (Schlichter) Hough, Sue Ellen Kallewaard of Kalamazoo, Dan E. (Susan) Kallewaard of Vicksburg, and her brother Richard Zander of Westerville, Ohio. She is also survived by 6 grandchildren including Jacqueline Stuut, Kalamazoo, Todd (Marcy) Hough, Rockford, Michael Campbell, Kalamazoo, Chris (Lisa) Campbell, Galesburg, Nicole (Kallewaard) John LeLay, Silver Springs, Maryland, Hannah (David) Kallewaard-Lum, Santa Clara, California. Dorothy’s family also includes 6 great-grandchildren and 7 great-great grandchildren.