Dorothy Mae Christinson, 93, of Grinnell, died on Saturday, February 25, 2023, surrounded by family at UnityPoint Grinnell Regional Medical Center.

A funeral service has been scheduled for 11:00 AM, Thursday, March 2, 2023 at Smith Funeral Home – Grinnell. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service starting at 10:00 AM. Burial will take place at Hazelwood Cemetery, Grinnell. Following the burial, a luncheon will be held at the Mayflower Buckley Dining Hall.

The service will be livestreamed through the Smith Funeral Home & Crematory Facebook page.

Memorial contributions may be designated to the Mayflower Human Needs Fund and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112.

Dorothy was born May 25, 1929 in Newton, IA, the daughter of Gus and Vera Lucille Fleener Christinson. She was raised in Dekalb, Il, where her father owned a restaurant. At sixteen she left school to help at her father's restaurant. Following her father's death in 1947, Dorothy and her family moved to Grinnell, IA to be closer to family.

Dorothy was employed at Maytag Manufacturing, where she was a valued employee for 30 years, retiring in 1984. Dorothy was a hard worker and felt setting and meeting goals in life was important. She left school at a young age to help support her family, but she always felt education was important. Dorothy returned to school and received her G.E.D. in 1984. After receiving her degree, her brother Paul and her cleaned numerous businesses and houses within the community for over 20 years. She volunteered at the Mayflower in the mailroom and Buckley Hall dining. She took pride in being in charge of the flowers and plants in the skywalk.

Dorothy loved her family and friends; she never knew a stranger. Dorothy encouraged and supported her nieces and nephews in life events and was always there for them. She remembered family birthdays, anniversaries, special dates and could instantly recall them from memory. Her kind heart and sense of humor made her loved by many. She enjoyed flower gardens and scrapbooking her collection of poems, sayings and comics.

Dorothy is survived by her brother, Paul (Marjorie) Christinson; nieces, Laura (Tim) Williams and Diane Winburn; nephews, Gary and Chris Christinson; great-nieces and nephews, Dustin Christinson, Kalen (Tyler) DeWitte, Chance Winburn, Amber Williams, Cayli Christinson, Christian Williams, Caden Christinson, and Wyatt and Keith Winburn; and four great-great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, George, in 2017.