Dorothy A. Rhyner

Dorothy Anne Rhyner, 79, of Prentice, WI, passed away on August 22, 2022, after a brief but brutal battle with cancer. During her week in hospice, she was able to be with her husband, children, and grandchildren. There was no doubt in her mind that she was loved and would be missed after she transitioned to be with the Lord.
Dorothy was married to Alan Rhyner for 58 years. The story goes that Alan saw Dorothy from across the room and told his friend, “I’m going to marry that girl”.
She worked for 46 years as a Teacher’s Aide at the Prentice School District. During that time, she made friendships she cherished. Even as she was battling cancer, she missed being at work with her school family and the kids.
Dorothy loved nothing more than a good laugh, some gossip, a great book, and a hot game of dimes during the holidays. Dorothy was talented at many things. She was a great cook, with “grandma pancakes” being her specialty, followed closely by her infamous German potato salad. She loved to knit and crochet. All the grandkids have baby blankets that she has made, but she just recently crocheted them full-size Afghans that they will always treasure. Dorothy loved to read and would initial and write a quick book review in the cover of each book after she read it. If people opened the book and saw, ‘dar…GOOD!!!’, they knew to read that one first. Dorothy’s favorite hobby was spoiling her beloved grandchildren. Her six grandchildren are better people because of the love and wisdom they received from their grandma.
She is survived by her husband, Alan Rhyner. She was also the proud mother of Daniel Rhyner, Kim (Jon) Quinnell, and Lisa (Jeff) Simek. Dorothy was the extra proud grandmother of Alyssa Ott (Brian), Alex Quinnell (Karley), Josef Simek (Jackie), Chelsea (Dalton) Makovsky, Abby Quinnell (Justin), and Mikaela Rhyner. Dorothy was the great grandmother of Daxton, Alayna, and Aubrey Ott. She is also survived by her brothers, Paul (Mary) Gelhaus and William (Judy) Gelhaus.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Aaron and Josephine (Schumacher) Gelhaus, sisters, Mary, Jean, and Virginia, and her brother, James.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hope Hospice Palliative Care - Medford, 537 W Broadway Ave, Medford, WI 54451. They, along with the Aspirus Care and Rehab nursing team, provided tremendous care and compassion to both Dorothy and her family.
A visitation will be held from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Friday, September 2, 2022, at Heindl Funeral Home, 761 South St, Prentice, WI 54556. with no formal services. A private family burial will take place in the Mt. Olive Cemetery, Westboro, WI.