Dorothy G. Adle

MADISON - Dorothy Gertrude (Reynolds) Adle passed away peacefully on Friday, April 8, 2011 at Oak Park Place in Madison, Wisconsin, with her daughter at her side. Dorothy was born on March 30, 1913, in Lafayette, Indiana, the daughter of Edward and Ruth (McDoel) Reynolds. She attended Purdue University, where her father was a professor of Engineering and French, and graduated in 1935 with honors in math and science. During the Christmas season of 1935, the New York Times featured stories on the impact of the Great Depression on working families. This inspired Dorothy to enroll in the Graduate School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Although she did not receive her degree, she returned to Indiana to work as a placement and adoption social worker in Indianapolis. Dorothy married her husband of 25 years, Jerald Marshall (Mike) Adle, in Lafayette in 1938. She left social work after her three children, Joseph Reynolds Adle, Ann Margaret Adle Hoyt, and Constance Ruth Adle Burke, were born. While her children were growing up Dorothy was an active volunteer in the PTA, her church and the Girl Scouts, and supported her husband in his career in technical writing. The family moved to Shorewood, WI, in 1943, to Wilmette, IL, in 1951, and to Lafayette, CA, in 1959. After her husband died in 1963, Dorothy returned to school and graduated with a Masters Degree in Social Work from the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. Dorothy lived in Lafayette and Walnut Creek, California from 1959 to 2002 where she worked for Planned Parenthood and was active in many social and political causes. She actively protested the Vietnam War, was a founding member of the Northern California Social Workers for Peace, and was an active member of the Mount Diablo Peace and Justice Center and the Mount Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church well into her 80’s. Dorothy is survived by her children, Ann (Bill) Hoyt of Madison, Wisconsin and Connie (Paul) Burke of Santa Cruz, California; 3 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jerald Marshall Adle (1963): her son, Joseph Reynolds Adle (2002); and her parents. Dorothy taught her family the abundance of things natural, the satisfaction of things done and well done, and the possibility that the world could be a better place. She will be remembered for her indomitable spirit, her beautiful smile and the lasting welcome always waiting at home. A memorial service will be held in Walnut Creek, California, later this year. Burial will be at the Alamo-Lafayette Cemetery in Lafayette, California. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Mount Diablo Peace and Justice Center, Walnut Creek, California or HospiceCare, Inc. of Madison, WI. The family wishes to express their most sincere thanks to the loving care provided to Dorothy over many years by the staff at Oak Park Place and for the gentle kindnesses and support provided to Dorothy and the family by Hospice. We have lost a strong and graceful spirit, but have gained a lifetime of memories.