Dorothy was born June 29, 1916, to Wallace and Mathilde (Engeland) Castonia in Grandin, ND. She later graduated from Wheaton, MN, High School. After graduating high school, she worked, and later continued her education in journalism, graduating from the University of Washington, in Seattle. During WWII she served with the United States Coast Guard. In 1954 she moved back to the area and joined the Moorhead Daily News, and later the Fargo Forum. She retired in 1981 from the Forum, but had until recently continued writing the garden column. She finished a Master of Liberal Arts degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 1993. She was always active in the community, serving in many organizations over the years. She was also an active member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Moorhead. She will be dearly missed.

Dorothy is survived by her son, Ross; sisters, Miriam (Edwin) Erickson and Gwen (Art) Erickson; brother, Donald (MaryAlice) Castonia; and nieces and nephews.