Dorothe Robbins, 97, of Estelline and formerly of White, died Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, at the Estelline Care Center in Estelline.  

Funeral services are at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Zion Lutheran Church in White with burial to follow in Fairview Cemetery. Visitation is 5-7 p.m. Thursday, at the church.  Eidsness Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements. 

Dorothe Anne (Dubbe) Robbins was born on Oct. 21, 1921, in Humboldt, the eighth child of Emil and Dora (Ehrich) Dubbe.  She had 10 siblings.

Dorothe attended school in Humboldt and graduated in 1939.  From the fall of 1941, until the spring of 1943, she attended South Dakota State College, where she met Lloyd Robbins, an agriculture production major.  Following his graduation, they were married on June 6, 1943, one year before D-Day.  They lived their entire married life on a farm 3 miles southwest of White. Lloyd and Dorothe had five children: David, Rick, Steve, Janet, and Mark. 

Her two loves were flowers and music.  When she was 14, she started playing the organ at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Humboldt.  She was still playing organ 70 years later at Zion Lutheran Church in White.  In 2009, she received the Volunteer of the Year award from the South Dakota Health Care Association for playing the piano for weekly sing-alongs and devotions for 35 years at the White Care Center in White. Dorothe’s love of flowers and all things green and growing was quite evident in the lovely gardens around her home and her flowering house plants.  

Dorothe also loved having her family around, and especially having her children and grandchildren come home. 

Dorothe was also active in the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League at the church in White and held many positions in that organization and at the church.  Crocheting and knitting were two past times that Dorothe also shared with others.  Besides making hundreds of beautiful doilies, she made a baby afghan for each of her grandchildren when they were born as well as an afghan when they graduated from high school.  This kept her busy, as she had 17 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren.  She carried on this tradition with her great-grandchildren until her fingers were unable to work as they should.

Lloyd died in November of 2005, and Dorothe remained on the farm until 2009, when she moved to an apartment in Brookings.  Following heart and hip surgery, Dorothe moved into Stoney Brook Assisted Living.  She enjoyed being there until January of 2016, when she moved to the Estelline Care Center.  

Dorothe is survived by her five children: David (Carolyn) Robbins of Gaylord, Minnesota, Richard (Arlene) Robbins of Wheatland, Wyoming, Steven (Peggy) Robbins of Eldora, Iowa, Janet (Tim) Larson of Pierre and Mark (Brenda) Robbins of Beulah, Wyoming; 16 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; sister Lillian Stofferahn; brothers: Don Dubbe and Bob (Nona) Dubbe; sister-in-law Viola Robbins; numerous nieces and nephews; and life-long friend, Lavon Waldner.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd; four brothers: Clarence, Lawrence, Elmer and Bud; three sisters, Emily, Mabel, and Marie; brothers-in-law: Darrell Robbins, and Melvin Robbins; and grandson, Zane Robbins.