Dottie Lou (Speckman) Monroe

On March 28, 1922, in St. Marys, Ohio, Dottie Lou Speckman entered the world, and on June 1, 2023, in Celina, Ohio, Dottie Lou Speckman Monroe departed peacefully as she slept. She was 101 years old.

Dottie’s century of living encompassed Prohibition, the Great Depression, World Wars I and II, Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, Korea, the Vietnam War, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the first Super Bowl, the first man in space AND the first man on the moon, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the start of the AIDS epidemic, 9/11, the invasion of Iraq , and 17  US Presidents.

Dottie was the second daughter born to the late Frederick and Florence (Langston) Speckman of St. Marys, Ohio. It was always a sticking point with her that no one ever mentioned that Neil Armstrong had lived in St. Marys as well as Wapakoneta. (His other hometown should be mentioned, after all…)

After Roosevelt declared war on Japan in 1941, Dottie remembered thinking that she would not be able to marry her sweetheart as planned. Love and luck prevailed, and on February 14, 1942 she married Harold Ballinger Monroe of Celina. She lost her valentine on December 14, 1987. Harold has been waiting a long time.

Dottie’s survivors include her three amazing children: Dennis (Carol) Monroe of Apex, North Carolina; Janice Bourelle of Celina; and Marsha (Alan) Pippenger of Dayton. She adored her six grandchildren, eleven great grandchildren, and one great great grandchild. Her sister-in-law Marilyn Speckman also survives.

In addition to her parents and spouse, Dottie is predeceased by her sisters Evelyn (Homer) Huston, Virginia (Leon) Jung, her brother Jerry Speckman, and one great grandchild.

Together Dottie and Harold were a formidable bridge pair, well-known in Celina for their skill. She and Harold were founding members of the Mercer County Elks, spending hours together following those little white balls. She was a fierce baker of apple pies, sugar cookies, seven-layer bars, and buttery oyster crackers. At Christmas she would fill the chest freezer with tins of cookies, so many that there would still be some mid-summer. Dottie was a 50 year-plus member of her bridge club and one mustn’t forget that she was also a Bulldog Booster.

A long-time member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (now Grand Lake Church) in Celina, Dottie was active in many church activities.

Family and friends are invited to a funeral service at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at Lehman-Dzendzel Funeral Home in Celina, Rev. Diane Mendelson officiating. Visitation is from 9:00 – 11:00 am, with services after. Private family burial will follow at North Grove Cemetery in Celina.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that contributions be made to the American Heart Association P.O. Box 840692 Dallas, TX 75284-0692.  Condolences may be shared with the Monroe family on-line at LehmanDzendzelFH.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dottie Lou (Speckman) Monroe, please visit our floral store.