Dorothy Lorraine Sierzchula (née Lundeen) was born on September 26, 1927 in Lemont, Illinois. She was the eldest of two children born to Charles and Clarisse Lundeen. Dorothy learned the piano at an early age, and as a young adult, she played professionally in various local taverns, including her father’s. From the mid-1940s through the early 1950s, she also worked at Public Service of Northern Illinois and at Argonne National Laboratory.

In 1955 Dorothy moved to California to marry her hometown sweetheart Val Sierzchula. They were married on July 16, 1955 at St. Matthew Church in Long Beach. They made their home in Anaheim where they raised their son and daughter.

Dorothy and Val moved to Rancho Santa Margarita, CA in 1995, after Val’s retirement. They appreciated a pleasant life enlivened by time spent with their two granddaughters, many longtime friends, and their desert tortoise Swifty. Dorothy continued to play the piano expertly for herself and her family well into her nineties.

Dorothy passed away in Placentia, CA on June 3, 2026, almost 13 years after Val’s passing. She is survived by her brother Chuck (Patsy), son Jay (Terri), daughter Valerie (Josh) and her cherished granddaughters Isabel (Andrew) and Elena.