Doreen Ardis Zimbelman died June 28, 2016.

She was born April 5, 1924, in North Dakota to Emil Dethlefsen and Mamie (Saari) Dethlefsen, the oldest child in family that she helped care for. She worked at the Pentagon during World War II then returned home, married Earl Zimbelman on Dec. 31, 1943, and settled down to farm where she made soap and butter, sewed clothes, canned produce and tended to small livestock. The family left the farm in 1954 and settled in Buckley, where she was a lifetime member of Trinity Lutheran Church and was especially supportive of mission and social work. She worked as an attendant at the Rainier School from the late 1950s until her retirement. She was a member of the Lutheran Woman’s Circle, the Buckley Historical Museum and was involved in Finnish heritage activities. She also enjoyed traveling and making connections with distant relations and authored and published a book, “My Swedish-German Roots, Larson-Dethlefsen.”

She is survived by daughters Deanna McDermott of Langlois, Ore., and Erlene Joy Zimbelman and partner Bob Winfrey of Port Townsend, Wash.; sons Roger Zimbelman and wife Carol of Redmond, Wash., and Glenn Zimbelman and wife Jan of Maricopa, Ariz.; siblings Marvel Bali, Ermagene DeLong, Arlen Dethlefsen and wife Liz and Lyle Dethlefsen; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband Earl, son Kent and sisters Elaine Conley and Harriet Larsen.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lutheran World Relief, P.O. Box 17061, Baltimore, Md. 21298-9832 or a charity of the donor’s choice.

A celebration of life is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Enumclaw, followed by a memory-sharing potluck.