August 14, 1936 – August 4, 2022
From a childhood in idyllic Tallinn, Estonia, cut short by the invading Soviet occupiers at the end of World War II, to a post-war Allied-controlled displaced persons camp in Germany, Dorothea (“Dodi”) faced an uncertain future. But in hindsight, her future was evident. The winds of fate would bring her to the United States, where she eventually met her fellow Estonian refugee husband, Juhan. In New Jersey, they kindled their love for one another and nurtured a family of two sons, Avo and Andres. In her professional life, Dorothea was an administrative assistant, and later after her sons were grown, a dental lab technician. But Dodi was not defined by her career. No, more importantly, she was a doting mother and the elegant prime minister matriarch in a dual head-of-state family. Undoubtedly, if she had been given another day on this earth to reflect, to her two sons she would have said: “Live your lives with the valuable lessons I instilled, both in words and deeds.” To her daughter-in-law Alice, she would have said: “You are the best thing to happen to Andres.” To her three grandchildren, Annika, Aili, and Aiki, she would have said: “Remember me in my times of strength and vitality.” We don’t have to speculate on what she would have said to her husband, Juhan, because they are having that conversation now – together once again.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.DEliaFuneralHome.com for the Simonson family.
