Obituary: Dorothy Gellert

Dorothy Gellert

Dorothy L. Gellert passed away peacefully on March 23, 2023, in Monrovia, Calif., at the age of 97½.

Born Dorothy Lorraine Bonderud on September 27, 1925, in Carrington, N.D., she was the 12th of 14 children born to Oluf Bonderud and Ella (Silseth) Bonderud.

After graduating from Carrington High School in 1943, she travelled by train to California, chaperoned by her Aunt Ingeborg, to join other members of her family already living there.

She found a job at a local drugstore's soda fountain, where she met and married Richard T. Moseley, a WWII Marine veteran, in 1946. They settled in Pasadena, Calif., where they had two children, Christine Ellen in 1947 and Bradford Andrew in 1949. After 27 years of marriage, they divorced.

Having wanted to be a nurse most of her life, she went back to school in 1965 and earned her LVN degree with a 4.0 average. The first day after graduating she was hired by St. Luke Hospital as an emergency room nurse, where she worked for 30 years. While working at St. Luke's, she met and married David Gellert, a pharmaceutical salesman and also a WWII Marine veteran. She was step-mother to his three children, Vicky, Lynda, and Doug. She was married to David until his death, 27 years after they were married.

After David's passing, she welcomed two of her brothers, Orville (Sam) and Kenneth into her home, where she cared for each of them, at different times, for the last three years of their lives. Eventually, both of her children moved back into the family home to live with her in Pasadena.

After no longer being able to safely live at home without 24-hour nursing care, she lived the last four years of her life at Redell Pine, a six-bed board and care residence in Monrovia, Calif. There, she was lovingly cared for by the caregiving staff and administration.

Dorothy was known for her open heart and very dry sense of humor. Most everyone who knew her loved her. She was an accomplished seamstress and cook. She adored her cat and dog pets and financially donated to animal support groups throughout her life. At her core, she was a caregiver, as evidenced by her dedication to caring for her siblings. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by her daughter, Christine, her three stepchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her son, Bradford, in 2020, and by her husband, David, in 2004.

At Dorothy's request, there will be no funeral, but rather a Celebration of Life at her Carrington Cemetery gravesite. The date is yet to be determined.