Dorothy (Wutzke) Mutschelknaus was born August 30, 1944, in Elgin North Dakota, as the eldest child to Oscar and Julia (Stelter) Wutzke. She went to school in Elgin and graduated from Elgin High School in 1962. She received a Secretarial degree form Bismarck Junior College in the following years. Dorothy worked at the ND Employment Office in Bismarck, had offers to work for the federal government out of state, but chose to stay close to home and marry Roland Mutschelknaus in 1966, with whom she made a loving home raising her children Chad and Kimberly in New Leipzig, ND.

Dorothy was a teacher's aide in the New Leipzig school for a few years until Chad came along and she had the full-time job as a mother; Kim arrived four years later, and Dorothy continued her motherly duties. After her children were old enough for school, she became an irreplaceable asset to the City of New Leipzig as Auditor for nearly 30 years. She also did the bookkeeping for the New Leipzig Ambulance Service for many years. She worked at Stelter's Repair starting in 2000 with her beloved cousins, until her passing.

Dorothy enjoyed watching her children participate in sports or any other activities they were involved in, no matter how old they got, and she was always proud of their accomplishments. However, Dorothy's best moments were spent with her grandchildren, "the girls", and her grand-dogs, who she was always immensely proud of. She would talk about them often while enjoying evening or morning walks with friends, or café outings with the Girl Scout leaders, an organization which she participated as a Leader herself for many years. She also enjoyed bird watching and listening to them sing on the outskirts of town. Reading was one of her favorite activities, and trading books with friends was something she would look forward to. Dorothy left lasting impressions on so many and will be greatly missed.

Dorothy's legacy lives on in her son Chad Mutschelknaus (Mandan), and daughter Kimberly Mutschelknaus with granddaughters Gabriele and Mickele (Rochester, MN). She is also survived by her mother Julia Wutzke, sister Mary Ann (Larry) Rokusek, brother William (Cheryl) Wutzke, sister-in-law Elaine Mutschelknaus, brother-in-law Adolf Wutzke, and much extended family that loved her dearly. She was preceded in passing by her father Oscar, and her husband Roland.

A memorial will be established in her honor.