Dorothy (Haverstraw) Pitcher

Dorothy Louise (Haverstraw) Pitcher, the daughter of Roy and Margaret (Hoffart) Haverstraw, was born June 17, 1937, minutes after her twin brother William at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Rugby, North Dakota. She died at the age of 71 years on Saturday, June 13, 2009 at the Heart of America Long Term Care Center in Rugby.

Dorothy was raised in the rural Rugby home of her parents and attended a country grade school near her home. She completed her education, graduating from Rugby High School in 1956. In 1963 she starting working as a nursing assistant in obstetrics at the Trinity Hospital in Minot and continued in that position for the next 23 years. On June 13, 1986, she was united in marriage to Gerald Pitcher at First Lutheran Church in Rugby. The couple made their home, first in Pleasant Lake and then on her parents’ farm in rural Rugby before moving to Velva, North Dakota, in 1994. Due to a stroke, Dorothy has made her home at the Long Term Care Center since August of 2008.

Dorothy was a born caregiver and people person, an amateur photographer and wedding planner, enjoyed travel and collecting souvenir spoons from the countries, states and cities she would visit. She was very loving and lovable, and deeply involved with all of her family. Blessed be her memory.

Survivors include her husband, Gerald, of Velva; step-daughters, Wendy (Brion Opstedal) Pitcher of Velva, and Mandy (Richard Schmidt) Pitcher of Fargo; step-son, Jeff Pitcher and his fiance, Savana Zietz, of Minot; 3 step-granddaughters, McKenzie and Katie Opstedal of Velva and Karma Pitcher of Minot; her mother, Margaret Haverstraw, Rugby; three brothers, William, Ronald and Wayne, all of Rugby; three sisters, Joyce (Larry) Bakken of Detroit Lakes, Joan (Robert) Warga of Hancock, Wis., and Donna Rygg of Rugby; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by three brothers, Raymond, Daniel and Kenneth; two nephews; one niece; and her father.

Funeral services were held on Thursday, June 18 at the Anderson Funeral Home Chapel in Rugby. Rev. Geoff Hilton officiated.

Casketbearers were Mike Schilousky, Billy Schilousky, Brett Haverstraw, Dion Haverstraw, Amber Haggerty and RaeLa Schilousky.

Burial was in Persilla Watts Cemetery.

Arrangements by Anderson Funeral Home, Rugby.