Dotty (Ayres) Rutishauser

RUTISHAUSER, Dorothy

Dorothy (Dotty) Ayres Rutishauser was born on September 21, 1932 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 1943 she moved to West Lafayette, Indiana and graduated from West Lafayette High School in 1950 as the class Salutatorian. She attended Indiana University and graduated in 3 ½ years as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

In the fall of 1954, Dotty entered graduate school at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She met Robert (Bob) Rutishauser in October. He proposed marriage in November, and she accepted in December. They were married in June after both received their master's degrees.

The next two years were spent in Morocco where Bob was stationed by the USAF. Their first son, Donald, was born in a base hospital a few months before they returned to the USA where they later welcomed son, Jeffrey, and daughter, Robin.

Dotty was a gifted and greatly respected teacher. She began substituting while their children were small, and started full time when the youngest was in second grade. She taught English and communications at Edina Public High School and The Breck School in the Minneapolis, MN area and ended her career at St. Edward's University in Austin - a total of about 25 years.

Volunteer activities were always a significant part of Dotty's life. She was a Cub Scout leader and a member of the Guthrie Theater Guild in Minneapolis. In Austin, she participated in Reading is Fundamental and also served as a Trustee of the Austin Lyric Opera for 25 years, including several years as Education Chair and later as manager of the Opera's Boutique. She was a member and an Elder of First Presbyterian Church and taught in their program for adults with disabilities. She was also a founding member of SAGE (a lifelong learning program at UT) and an active participant for many years, as well as a stalwart member of a local women's book club for nearly three decades.

Dotty's hands were never still. You could always find her knitting or doing needlepoint, outfitting her husband, children and grandchildren with sweaters and adorning their homes with her needlework. After retiring, she and Bob traveled widely, from Europe and South America to Australia and China. And she took great pride and joy in her children, their spouses, and seven grandchildren, supporting them through her faithful attendance at their many activities in the various states where they have lived. In addition to her husband and family, she is survived by her sister, Juliette Spears, of Fort Wayne, IN.

A memorial service will be held at Harris Bell Hall, Westminster Manor, 4100 Jackson Ave, at 2pm Sunday, Oct 18. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to First Presbyterian Church, Austin Opera, or a .

Obituary and memorial guestbook
available online at www.wcfish.com

Published in Austin American-Statesman from Oct. 3 to Oct. 4, 2015