Dorothy A. (Kelley) Kopischke

With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Dorothy Kopischke, our loving and devoted great grandmother, grandmother, mother, and friend to all whose lives she touched, on September 12, 2025. Dorothy, aka “Little Tornado” as she was fondly referred to. She was a lifelong learner and generously shared passions with those around her. She was in her 86th year.

A Celebration of Life for Dorothy will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, September 20th, 2025, at Grace United Methodist Church, Vernon Center. A visitation will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. before the service on Saturday. Interment will be in Vernon Center Cemetery. Mankato Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Dorothy grew up in Vernon Center on the Kelley Farm where she attended and graduated from Garden City High School. She married her high school sweetheart Gordon of 63 years. During the farming crisis in the 70’s, Dorothy and Gordy started selling vegetables at the end of the driveway to make ends meet. As entrepreneurs, with their people skills and their creativity, they built that business to “Kopischke's Market & Pumpkinland”, growing into a farm market business having 6000 visitors on a weekend. Dorothy and Gordy retired in the early 90s and would spend the winters in Mesa, AZ and summers in Vernon Center.

Anyone that truly knew Dorothy knew she had such a big heart and touched many lives on a daily basis. She loved gardening, baking, quilting, and spending time hosting family and friends. Her husband Gordy joked that one of her gardens was called the “Ooh Ahh” garden because everyone who walked through it would go Ooh and Ahh. She hated weeds and was known for pulling all the restaurants weeds while we waited for our name to be called for a table. She generously shared her passions with those around her; she taught arts & crafts classes, quilting classes, and people would visit her gardens to ask questions about different flowers & hostas. In her retirement, Dorothy became a diehard Minnesota Vikings fan and enjoyed attending games with her family dressed in the proper Vikings attire. She deeply loved her family and will be greatly missed. We take comfort in knowing that Dorothy is now at peace surrounded by the Love of Christ and rejoined with her husband Gordy.

Dorothy is survived by her children, Todd (Kellie) Kopischke, Troy (Amanda) Kopischke, and Tania (Ryan) Allen; grandchildren, James (Brittany) Kopischke, Andrew (Tiahndra) Kopischke, Elizabeth Kopischke (friend Liam Stenzel), Cole (Ellie) Kopischke, Conner Kopischke, Ava Kopischke, and Cole Allen; great-grandchildren, Bellamy, Owen, Everett, Tucker and Miles; sisters-in-law, Donna Kopischke and Olivia Kopischke; numerous cousins, and friends.

Preceded in death by her husband, Gordon; daughter, Cindy (Rick) Pautzke; grandchildren, Hannah and Michael Kopischke; her parents, Raymond and Gladys Kelley; and stepfather, Gerald Thurston.