Dorothy A (Rothstein) Bocking

Dorothy was born on May 3, 1943 to Anton and Mabel Rothstein at the Kelvington Hospital, the fourth of five children.   Dorothy attended St. Eutrope School from Grade 1 to 4 and then Okla School until Grade 9.  Dorothy lived her entire life within a few miles of the Rothstein family farm southeast of Lintlaw where she grew up, venturing as far as Wadena and Kelvington in her teens to work for families with young children. Dorothy married Donald Bocking on July 5, 1961. Her early married life was on the Bocking farm just a couple of miles from where she grew up. Dorothy and Donald lived on the farm from July 1961 until January 1969 when they moved the family into the village of Lintlaw with the first 4 children. The house in Lintlaw was a little bigger, the yard was a little smaller but there was still no indoor plumbing.

For Dorothy, her primary job in life was to be a mom. Three more children were born between 1970 and 1978 after moving to town.  At some point, the house was not quite big enough, so they built on a bedroom and a dining room which became the center of Dorothy’s world as a mom. Everything happened in the dining room: 3 meals a day always eating supper as a family, filling lunch boxes; holiday dinners with extended family. It was also where she helped the children with homework, iced the birthday cakes, played cards, did the financial statements for the CWL and sewed the Halloween costumes. Once she moved to town, the house became the gathering place for friends, cousins and out of town family especially during the holidays. So many special memories that last forever. 

For a remarkable 34 years between 1962 and 1996, she perfected her mom skills with 1-7 children at home at any given time.  During this same time, she took on an increasingly active role as the caregiver daughter to Grandma Rothstein who lived just a few houses away gardening, having tea and often giggling with Grandma.

In 1989, Dorothy and Donald started Lintlaw Plumbing and Heating which they operated together until retirement. Dorothy soon became very capable at double-entry accounting, locating, and delivering parts to the jobsites and as a helper to Donald on many jobs. 

In the 1990’s Dorothy became a grandmother, and her world soon expanded with grandchildren far from Lintlaw. She put aside her fear of flying traveling to California visiting LegoLand and Seaworld with Nigel and Mikaela. In 2005, Dorothy and Donald traveled to Australia to visit Dan and his family and learn about their life down under. The grandchildren nearby got the full daily grandma experience with her cheering from the stands at their sporting events, delivering the most delicious of birthday cakes or sitting around having a wiener roast in the yard or at the lake. 

Second only to her family, was her dedication to church and community. She served on the CWL for over 50 years, most of them as treasurer and more recently on the St. Theresa’s Parish board as well as organizing many of the weekly activities for Sunday mass. If there was a bake sale, a bingo, a church supper, or a bazaar she was there with some delicious baked goods for sale or raffle. When Donald could no longer help at the Lintlaw bingos, Dorothy took her turn calling bingo and always attended like so many other dedicated community members.

Since Donald passed away five years ago, Dorothy traveled to Florida to spend some of the 2018 winter with Ken and Edith Bocking and then made a second trip to Australia in the spring of 2018 to visit Dan and his family taking in the sights of Brisbane and the Great Barrier Reef. In the last 3 years during Covid and as her health issues continued to mount, she was eternally grateful to Karen’s and Dean’s families for all the daily support they provided during such trying and lonely times. She got much strength from her faith, her church family, and her community. She will be forever remembered as a loving and kind soul dedicated to her family and community.   

Dorothy leaves to mourn 6 children, 14 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren, including son David (Laurie) with their children Nigel and Mikaela (Elias); daughter Tammy (Roger) with son Matthew (Aina) and granddaughters, Keneisha, Shondra, Eva; son Daniel (Joann) with their children Roshann, Eliana and Shakiel; son Dean (Belinda) with their children Jessica, Dana (Drew) and Cierra and grandchildren Emersyn and Daxton; daughter Karen (Greg) and their children Jordan, Adam, Jeremy and Kayli; daughter Jody (Ron) and their daughter Sundra.

Dorothy is survived by her sister Carol (John) Witkowicz, and her brother Jim Rothstein and many treasured in-laws, nephews, nieces and cousins.  Dorothy is predeceased by her husband Donald in 2017; daughter Donna in 2015; sister Grace in 2018; brother Lorne in 2017, and grandson – Ilan in Australia in 2004.