The funeral Mass for Dorothy Margret (Ranney) Gauthier will be Thursday, March 1, 2012, at 11 a.m. at the Madonna Towers Chapel of Rochester, with Fr. James Russell officiating. There will be a viewing at 10 a.m. prior to the funeral Mass and burial at Calvary Cemetery following a luncheon.

Mrs. T. Emil Gauthier, 98, passed away Sunday, Fe. 26, 2012, at her residence in Madonna Towers. She was a long-time resident of Rochester.

Dorothy was born Dec. 6, 1913, in Riceville, Iowa, to Gretta and Nathaniel Ranney. They later moved to Rochester, where Dorothy finished high school and graduated from Rochester Junior College in 1933. Dorothy was recently recognized at the 90th Anniversary of RCTC as the oldest living graduate of Rochester Junior College. In her student days she had been a recipient of the prestigious "Golden R" award along with many other awards for academic excellence.

She married T. Emil Gauthier on Sept. 11, 1941, where they were the first couple married at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Dorothy was a devoted wife and mother of three children: Janice, Thomas and Lawrence Gauthier.

Dorothy was an active member of St. Francis of Assisi where she played organ and sang in the choir. She was an avid bridge player, and enjoyed painting with water colors. Her love of music was a gift she passed on to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, most of whom are stilled active musicians or singers.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Emil, in 2005, her son, Lawrence, in 1983 and a brother, Donald Ranney.

She is survived by her children, Janice Ley of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and Thomas (Donna) Gauthier of St. James City, Fla.; grandchildren, Lori (Phil) Melhorn of Rochester, Diane (Greg) Osland of Rochester, James (Ingrid) Ley of Miami, Fla., Larry (Karin Heinsch) Ley of Toronto, Ontario, Michael (Stacy) Gauthier of Grafton, Wis., and David (Rebecca) Ley of Toronto, Ontario; and her great-grandchildren, Emily and Kelly Melhorn, Katie and Jenny Osland, Mathew and Andrew Ley, Daniel, Sofi and Josie Heinsch, Grant, Mitchell and Rachel Gauthier and Abraham Ley. She is also survived by four step-grandchildren and three step-great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to Madonna Towers Foundation or to the Mayo Hospice Program.