Dorothy J. Schwartzkopf

Dorothy J. Schwartzkopf, 97, peacefully entered into eternity on March 31, 2017, with her loving family at her side.

Dorothy June Anderson Schwartzkopf was born June 14, 1919, in Fairbury, Nebraska to Louis C. Anderson and Ruth Emma Diedrich Anderson. She attended Hartley, Whittier, and Lincoln High schools in Lincoln, Nebraska. She was a class officer at Lincoln High, graduating in 1937. After attending the University of Nebraska in Lincoln for 1 year, she discontinued her formal education to work full time because her family could not afford to pay for her college education during the depression. She worked at Hovland Swanson clothing store in downtown Lincoln and also served as assistant to the manager of Lincoln Country Club, where she met her husband Sam Schwartzkopf, who was the caddy master.

Sam and Dorothy were married on May 3, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska. They subsequently moved to Avon Park, Florida, where Sam finished Officer Candidate School before serving his country in World War II in the Army Air Corps.

After the war Sam and Dorothy returned home to Lincoln, Nebraska, where Dorothy became a stay-at-home mom with her three children, Louis (born 1946), Christine (born 1948), and Suzanne (born 1950). She participated in activities such as PTA, church, and Cub Scouts, ensuring that her family had opportunities, and encouraged her children to live up to their full potentials.

In 1957 at age 38 she asked Sam to teach her to play golf, and she was a natural! In her very first state tournament at Hillcrest in 1957, she reached the Championship Flight finals. She went on to win nine city titles and six state championships. She represented Nebraska at National golf tournaments in Tulsa, OK; Indianapolis, IN; Hot Springs, AR; and Madison, WI. She made many life-long friends playing golf. Her golfing interests also extended to advocacy and education. She taught golf at the YWCA and served as volunteer coach of the Lincoln High girls golf team. She was a founder of the Nebraska Women’s Amateur Golf Association (NWAGA) and served as its Executive Director. Dorothy also founded the Pink Ribbon Scramble, a charity fund-raiser for breast cancer research. She is in the Lincoln High School Athletic Hall of Fame and also the Nebraska Golf Hall of Fame.

Sam was elected mayor of Lincoln in 1967 and served until 1975. Dorothy was very involved in this enterprise from the beginning of campaigning, and volunteered her services for many civic organizations including the United Way Board and the Cancer Board. She maintained an active public presence and was a popular and beloved First Lady while Sam was mayor, with her smile being a part of the Schwartzkopf brand.

In 1976 at age 57 Dorothy launched a new career, obtaining her real estate license and serving 15 years as a realtor® with HOME Real Estate until at age 72 in 1991 she decided to retire to spend more time with grandchildren. Throughout her long life, friends and family were the most important priority to Dorothy, and until the very end she reveled in the times she spent with her friends, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and extended family.

Dorothy was a member of Sheridan Lutheran Church; a Trustee of the Lincoln Community Foundation; and the first female elected to serve on the Board of Directors at Hillcrest Country Club.

Dorothy is survived by: son and daughter-in-law Louis and Becky Schwartzkopf of Mankato, MN; daughter and son-in-law Christie Schwartzkopf Schroff and Cliff Schroff of Lincoln, NE; daughter and son-in-law Suzie Schwartzkopf Heacock Rager and Kurt Rager of South Sioux City, NE; grandchildren and spouses: Amy and James Anderson; Tom and Christie Heacock; Sarah and Mitch Minarick; Kaile Christine Schroff; Kate and John Rodysill; Dorothy Grace Schwartzkopf; and Hannah Suzanne Schroff; 6 great-grandchildren: Graceyn, Sam, and Will Anderson and Emma, Sophia, and Brady Heacock; nieces Linda Schwartzkopf Fultz, Becky Kinney, and Mary Dueland; and nephews Bill Schwartzkopf, Steve Schwartzkopf, and Bob Anderson. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother Robert Louis Anderson, and son-in-law Brian R. Heacock.

Visitation will begin 10 a.m. Monday, April 3, family will greet friends from 5-8 p.m. Roper and Sons, 4300 O Street. Services to be held 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 4, 2017, at Sheridan Lutheran Church, 6955 Old Cheney Rd.

Leave condolences online at roperandsons.com or mail c/o Christie Schroff, 300 N 44th St, Suite 116, Lincoln, NE 68503.

Memorials to Sheridan Lutheran Church or the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.