Dorothy Fern Pine

Dorothy Fern Kerr was born on December 9, 1929, in Holloway, Minnesota and graduated from Hamline University. Dorothy married her husband Clifford Pine on June 3, 1950, in Minneapolis and they then moved to Denver, Colorado, where Cliff attended the Iliff School of Theology. Their son Patrick was born there in 1951. Then Cliff and Dorothy moved to Lyons, Colorado, for his first post as a Methodist minister. Their daughter Margaret (Peggy) was born there in 1954. After helping her husband with ministerial duties in Iowa, Dorothy and her family moved to Spokane, Washington, in 1959, where their daughter Pamela was born in 1960.

The Pine family moved to Humboldt County, California, just before the Great Flood of 1964. Dorothy was a devoted mother and wife, always treating her family and people around her - as well as those less fortunate - with great love, respect and care. She helped to arrange church events, was active in the League of Women Voters, and worked as a substitute school teacher for Eureka City Schools.

After leaving the Pacific Northwest, Dorothy and Clifford travelled extensively while living in a motorhome and were involved in many social justice causes. Their deep involvement in the Sanctuary Movement led them to settle in Tucson, Arizona, and later in Gila outside of Silver City, New Mexico. Dorothy and her close friend Elna Otter co-authored and published The Sanctuary Experience in 2004. In her later years, Dorothy was active in the Friends Meeting (the Religious Society of Friends, known as Quakers) in Silver City.

Dorothy was a talented and creative seamstress and quilter. In her final years, she lived in a retirement community near Portland, Oregon, where she enjoyed playing bingo and winning at card games and being part of sewing and writing groups. She passed away at Whitewood Gardens in Portland, Oregon, on October 11, 2021. She is survived by her son, Patrick Pine (Deborah Pine), daughter Margaret “Peggy” Otake (Yuichi Otake), and daughter Pamela Pine as well as seven grandchildren, four great-grandsons, her sister-in-law, and several nieces and a nephew.

Dorothy will always be remembered for her kind, generous, and tolerant nature.

An online memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 4, 6 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (December 5, 11 a.m. Japan Time, 9 a.m. Thailand Time.) Those who would like to take part may contact Pat, Peggy, or Pam for the online link.

Donations in memory of Dorothy may be made to: Gila Friends Meeting, PO Box 839, Silver City, N.M. 88062