Betty Jo Dorschner died Friday, April 21, 2023, at Rochester East Health Services.

Betty Jo was born September 26, 1926, near Springview, Nebraska to Edwin and Cecile White. She moved 9 times before graduating high school in 1944. She took a train from Nebraska to Rochester, MN where she entered Saint Mary's School of Nursing as a Student Army Cadet Nurse during World War II. After graduation she worked at St. Mary's Hospital. In 1947 she met her husband-to-be, Ollie Dorschner, and they were married November 13, 1948, in Jackson, MN, Ollie's hometown. They resided in Rochester where she was a stay-at-home mom (except for a short period of working as a private duty nurse) until 1968. She then went back to work as an RN at St. Mary's Hospital in the Neuro Unit while taking evening classes at RCC toward a BS in Education. In 1969-1970 she was a part-time Clinical Nursing Instructor with the 3-year St. Mary's School of Nursing RN program. In 1970 she was hired by Rochester Technical Institute to develop and teach a Secondary Health Occupation program for Rochester High School Jr/Sr Students. 1974-1979 she developed and taught the Nursing Assistant Program. In 1976 she got her BS in Education at Winona State. In 1980 she got her Masters in Administration at the Univ. of MN. 1980-1989 she was the Coordinator of the Health & Home Economics Division RAVTI. She retired in 1989.

She continued to live in Rochester keeping busy having coffee and playing cards with her lifelong friends and spending as much time as she could with her kids and grandkids. She was a Hospice volunteer for 7 years, was a volunteer at Samaritan Bethany Home and volunteered at St. Mary's Hospital.

Betty Jo traveled, loved reading mysteries, gardening, sewing, knitting, photography, the sun and watching her son play hockey.

She is survived by her daughters, Linda Dorschner (Anne Green) and Sharon Enblom of Rochester, MN and Mary Jo Luedtke (Mark) of Hastings, MN; her son, Steven Dorschner (Valerie) of St. Paul, MN; 8 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Ollie, parents, brother Gene, adopted sister Marie, two sisters-in-law, and one brother-in-law.

The funeral service for Betty Jo will be held at 11:00AM on Monday, May 1, 2023, in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home with Fr. Michael Churchill officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the serviced at the chapel. A luncheon is planned following the service. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Rochester, MN.

In lieu of flowers, family requests donations be sent to the Alzheimer's Association or Rochester East Health Center in memory of Betty Jo.

Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com