Dorothy Marie Zaruba, 85, of Hallettsville, was called home on December 9, 2022.  She was born on November 16, 1937, to the late Tom J. & Anna Cinadr Kanak, at their home in St. Mary's.  There, she grew up with her 8 siblings.  She was not a stranger to hard work.  Working in the fields, feeding the animals, picking the eggs, milking the cow, helping with cooking the meals, dishes, and laundry were all just part of life.  At a very young age, she was chosen to go and live with her neighboring great uncle, Joe Klekar, after his wife passed away.  He had fallen ill and needed help with chores.  After school, she would go to her new home, take care of the chores, then do her homework by a kerosene lamp.

Dorothy's schooling included Brown School, Sacred Heart Catholic School, and Baldwin Business College.  At Brown School, several grades were taught in the same room allowing children an opportunity to listen in on several grades of teaching at one time.  Because of this, she was able to move up a grade, due to her advances in her learning.  While attending Sacred Heart, she excelled in volleyball and basketball contributing to state titles.  At Baldwin, she made numerous lifelong friends.

Work on the farm wasn't the only work Dorothy knew.  Throughout her life, she worked at various places including Modern Appliance and Renger Memorial Hospital.  She was the owner of Montgomery Ward in Hallettsville and Yoakum, and Co-owner of Allied Title in Hallettsville.  She loved working with the public and worked up until her late 70's before retiring.  She would joke around with everyone and sometimes, people would stop in for no other reason than to visit her.

Dorothy was a member of the KJZT, Chamber of Commerce, where she was a big part of the Kolache Fest for several years, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

On October 11, 1959, Dorothy was united in marriage with Joe F. Zaruba Jr. at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hallettsville.  From this union, they were blessed with 5 children.

Dorothy's greatest joy was her family and fishing!  She loved to fish and had the patience of a saint when it came to fishing.  It didn't matter to her if she sat there all day and didn't catch a thing.  She was always there for her family and made a point to attend whatever event any of her children had.  When her grandchildren were school age, she volunteered to take most all of them to school every morning creating more unforgettable memories.

Dorothy is survived by:  3 daughters, Beverly J. Stock (Darryl), Marsha J. House (Kelly), Barbara J. Steffek (Donald), all of Hallettsville; son Douglas W. Zaruba (Laura) of Garden Ridge; 8 grandchildren, Amanda Stock Evans (Wes), Ashley Stock Brocker (Aric), Clayton Stock, Dustin Steffek (Kelly), Derek Steffek (Jade), Jordan Zaruba (Tory), Brandon Zaruba (Alex) & Kirsten Zaruba; 12 great grandchildren, Ava and Brayden Miranda; Aison and Asher Brocker; Jayla, Jeniya and Jayden Hartwell, Trace, Adalyn, Harper, Hadley and Hayes Steffek; 5 step great grandchildren Emily, Carson & Nadia Evans and Ainsley & Adastyn Brocker; one great great grandchild Saxtyn Hartwell; 2 brothers, Tom (Fran) & Jerome (Lorena) Kanak; 2 sisters, Irene (Royce) Schulte & Mary (John) Kaiser; 2 sisters-in-law, Barbara Kanak Mendel and Evelyn Kanak; brother-in-law Frank Zaruba; and as well as numerous nieces and nephews and their extended families.

Dorothy was preceded in death by:  husband Joe; parents; daughter Gail Ann Zaruba; 3 brothers, Ronald, Rudolph & Daniel Kanak; sister Justine Tobola Zieglar; brothers-in-law, Adolph Tobola, Lester Zieglar, Royce Schulte and John Kaiser; son-in-law Kelly House; granddaughter Dawn House Hartwell; in-laws, Annie Mae & Julius Technik, Robert & Josie Zaruba, Helen & James Appelt and Rita (Frank) Zaruba.

Funeral Mass Service: 11 am, Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Hallettsville. Visitation: 5 pm, Monday, at Kubena Funeral Home, with Rosary starting at 7 pm. Officiant: Msgr. John Peters. Memorials: donor's choice. Burial: Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery.