Andover - She has left this earthly planet and is now free to be herself in what she called the "Cosmos" and the "Spirit World." Doris Ann Kunde Pierce died on April 28, 2026, four days after her 93rd birthday celebration. Such a life she lived...

She was born during the Great Depression on her grandfather Leesman's farm in Dixon, Illinois. Dori's mother, Viola Leesman Kunde, died when Dori was 3 years old. Dori's father, Arthur Kunde, lovingly allowed her to be adopted by her Uncle William Kunde and Aunt Helen Dettman Kunde. She grew up on the Kunde farms near Sterling/Rock Falls, IL, where she developed her love of nature and animals. Aunt Helen taught her to read at only three and a half years old. This love of reading took her on many adventures, comforted her, and opened up the entire world to her. Educated in a one-room schoolhouse, she went on to graduate from Sterling High School, and then attended Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois.

Dori met and fell in love with Philip Edwin Pierce while working a summer job at Shady Shores Resort in MI. They committed their lives and love to each other in on 11/22/1953 at 2nd Avenue Evangelical Lutheran Church, Rock Falls, IL. Their children, Michel and Laurie soon joined the family in Aurora, IL. Later in their married life, Dori and Phil were blessed with amazing opportunities and moved around the country, as Phil prospered as an executive in the railroad business. They lived in Fridley, MN; Louisville, KY; Colorado Springs, CO; and eventually landed in Ramsey, MN living on the Mississippi river.

Dori loved bird watching, quilting, reading, gardening, and made wonderful lifelong friends doing so. Another hobby was writing strongly worded letters to politicians and businesses, urging that they do better. She adored her pets; her faithful dog Patches and all of her kitties.

Those that meet her in the after-life include her husband Phil, sister-in-law Linda (Pierce) Brokaw, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Roger and Fran Pierce, half-brother Marvin Kunde, nephew Jeff Parish and many beloved friends.

Those that are still here to laugh, cry, and tell her stories include: her loving children Michel Pierce and Laurie Weber-Schwarzenberger; son-in-law Joe Schwarzenberger IV; grandchildren Christopher Pierce, Jennifer Pierce, Sarah Elise, and Sean Weber. Her great-grandchildren: Weylin Linkus, William Pierce, Landen Pierce, Ellie Mae Pierce, Austyn Mattingly and her great-great grandchild Noah. Dori was loved and adored by her sister-in-law Jean (Pierce) Parish and husband Robert Parish. Half-sister Marcia Vasque, half-brother "Butch" LaVerne Kunde, nieces Janet and Caroline Pierce, and nephew Steve Parish are still here to remember her.

Dori requested cremation so that she could be "sprinkled everywhere to fertilize the flowers and earth." In her memory, she asks that her family and friends "plant clover to help populate the bees." If desired, you may donate in Dori's honor to the Minnesota Society for the Blind or The Nature Conservancy. Memories and condolences can be left at www.millerfuneralfridley.com