Dorothy May Ulrich died March 23, 2007, after a 10 day battle with viral pneumonia. Living in Surprise, Ariz., she died peacefully with her family at her side at Del-Webb Memorial Hospital.

Dorothy was born May 31, 1930 to William and Viola McLeod in Castor, Alberta, Canada. In 1940 Dorothy moved to Redmond, Ore., with her parents and five siblings. After completing Redmond High School, she worked as a telephone operator.

On June 10, 1951 she married her life-long companion Carl Ulrich. She was a very loving and devoted wife and mother of two children. She loved caring for her family, sewing, gardening, and helping out others. She always placed other people’s needs ahead of her own.

In 1956 Dorothy and family moved to Ashland, Ore., so Carl could get his degree in education at Southern Oregon College. Fossil, Ore., was where he started his career which led to many future moves for the family. In 1960 they moved to Washington to include Riverside, Spokane, Cashmere, Yakima, Colfax, Lyle, Kalama, Maple Valley, and Coupeville.

In 1966 Dorothy began college life at Wenatchee Valley College and in 1970 she completed a degree in education with a minor in library science at Central Washington University. She taught home economics and was a school librarian in her career. She taught in Colfax, Wishram, La Center, and Kent. In 1981 Carl became the Superintendent of Coupeville Schools and for the next seven years she was a substitute teacher for the Oak Harbor School District.

Dorothy was always involved in community activities. Sports included Ladies Softball League and Bowling League. While living in Cashmere she devoted her extra time to the Ardeta Women’s Club where she was an advocate for improving laws concerning child molesters. In Colfax she was well known for her spaghetti feed fund-raisers for senior class activities and expenses. In Coupeville she and long time friend Shirley Weber had a business called Coupeville Creations. She was a member of the Coupeville United Methodist Church where she cooked and served the Central Whidbey Lion’s Club dinner every Wednesday night for five years. She was an officer and one of the Charter Members of the Whidbey Lioness Club. Dorothy also enjoyed judging 4-H projects at the Island County Fair for several years.

After retiring in 1987 Dorothy and Carl would travel to Olympia. During the legislative session Dorothy was a tour guide at the Washington State Capitol Building. She loved educating people of all ages.

In 1992 a trip around the United States included buying a place in Happy Trails Retirement Community in Surprise, Ariz. In 1993 Arizona became their permanent residence. In 1998 they began traveling to Glacier National Park in Montana where they ran the West Glacier Motel for four years in an effort to get out of the Arizona heat, travel and begin a new hobby of sapphire mining.

At Happy Trails, Dorothy was very involved with the Women’s Golf Association and was the coordinator for the 9-Holers ladies golf group. She would always take the newcomers under her wing until they got to know the group. Dorothy was a very active and healthy person and her kind personality and reputation for great food and hospitality will always be remembered by her many friends and family. She was a blessing to all who knew her.

Dorothy is survived by her husband of almost 56 years, Carl Ulrich in Surprise; two children, Mark Ulrich and wife Jody of Mattawa, Wash., and Nancy Wieldraayer of Oak Harbor; four grandchildren, Michelle Ulrich of Seattle, Casie Ulrich of Pullman, Cameron Wieldraayer of Redmond, and Katie Wieldraayer of Oak Harbor; and two great grandchildren, Nevaeh and Kylie Wieldraayer. Dorothy has one surviving brother, Bruce McLeod of Redmond, Ore., niece Sharon Busby of Ocean City , N.J., and two nephews, Raymond Hennings of Sisters, Ore., and Mike Roach of Grand Prairie, Texas.

A memorial service to celebrate Dorothy’s life will be on Saturday, May 19, at the Coupeville United Methodist Church at 3 p.m. with Pastor Larry Rector officiating. Arrangements are entrusted to Camino del Sol Funeral Chapel, Sun City West, Ariz.

The family suggests that memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 728 134th St. Suite 101 Everett, WA 98204.