Dorothy Palm Chilkott

Dorothy Palm Chilkott; age 82; of Auburn Hills; died in Pontiac December 28 2018.  Devoted wife of the late Rev. Richard Chilkott; loving mother of Gretchen Chilkott, Woodbury, MN; Paul Chilkott, Auburn Hills; and Andrea Chilkott, Bethesda, MD.  Proud grandma of Scout Sheys, Sebastian Chilkott, and Karen Genachowski.

Dorothy was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on February 23, 1936.  She was the granddaughter of Scandinavian immigrants and youngest of four surviving children born to the Rev. Ernest and Edith (Cling) Palm.  Throughout her life she was proud of and connected to her heritage. While growing up she lived in Hector, Minnesota; Braddock, Pennsylvania; and Superior, Wisconsin.  She attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota and graduated with a degree in English Literature in 1958. Dorothy Palm and Dick Chilkott met while students at Gustavus and married in 1957.

After working for one year at Deere & Company in Moline, Illinois, Dorothy moved to Kansas City, Kansas. Upon the ordination of her husband in 1960, she moved to Grand Rapids. She loved Michigan and the communities in which she lived: Grand Rapids (1960-62); Muskegon (1962-64); Adrian (1964-1971); and especially Pontiac/Auburn Hills (1971-2018).

Dorothy was a woman of many talents and interests.  She valued good conversation and had an excellent memory. As a youngster, she was an avid Pittsburgh Pirates fan. After moving to Michigan, she transferred her allegiance to the Detroit Tigers.  She was a natural artist of any craft that required a needle. In addition to being an expert knitter, Dorothy could quilt, sew, crochet, embroider, needlepoint, tat, and create hardanger textiles.  She enjoyed cooking and baking for her family and church. Dorothy loved choral and classical music. She was an excellent piano and organ player, and also knew how to play the bassoon. As a mother, she encouraged her three children to take up musical instruments, and they did.  In addition to her part-time work as church secretary for many years, Dorothy was a substitute teacher for the Pontiac School District from 1971 until 2004. She enjoyed interacting with high school students and was in constant demand by teachers due to her skills at supervising a classroom full of teenagers.

Church ministry was an important part of Dorothy’s identity. For decades, she cherished her role as a pastor’s wife.  She willingly and gratefully provided thousands of hours of service in that capacity, and will be greatly missed by her family, friends, and community.

The family would like to express deep appreciation to St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, Canterbury-on-the-Lake, and American House Rochester Hills for their medical support and kindness in recent months.

A memorial service will be held Friday, January 11 at 11 a.m. at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 5631 N Adams Rd, Bloomfield Hills . Visitation is at 10 a.m.  A light luncheon will follow the service.  The family requests memorial contributions instead of flowers.  Contributions may be directed either to Habitat for Humanity (www.habitat.org/donations) or Lutheran Social Services of Michigan (www.samaritas.org).