Dorothy Kenngott

1922 - 2021

Dorothy Kenngott

Dorothy Kenngott, 99, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2021, at the Lutheran Home in Wauwatosa, WI.

Dorothy was born on March 10, 1922, to Fred and Marie Pettel, who were immigrants to the United States. She grew up and spent her entire life in Wauwatosa. She deeply loved Wauwatosa and could not imagine living anywhere else. After attending a rural schoolhouse near Hwy 100 and Grantosa Drive, she graduated from Washington High School. As a young woman, she worked as a secretary at Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. During WWII, she was an executive secretary at the Milwaukee Road, during which time she put herself through studies at what was then the Wisconsin College of Music, from which she received her piano teacher's certificate.

She began her piano teaching studio in 1953 and continued teaching until she moved into the Lutheran Home at age 96. She maintained upwards of thirty students per week, while also active as an adjudicator for the Milwaukee Music Teachers Association and the Wisconsin Music Educators Association. For a number of years, she and her daughter Louise both taught simultaneously out of dual studios in her home. Many of Dorothy's students went on to graduate from noted university music schools throughout the country. She was extremely proud of their accomplishments. Beginning in the 1980's, she only taught adults, some of whom remained her students until she stopped teaching. She loved being a recognized piano teacher and loved her students. She touched the lives of hundreds of students.

Dorothy loved traveling around the world and spending annual weeks in Door County. She was an excellent bridge player, keenly focused on winning. Dorothy enjoyed attending chamber music and symphony concerts throughout her adult life, in recent decades accompanied by her adult piano students. She was a member of the Wauwatosa Congregational Church and was formerly active on its music committee.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Gordon Martin Kenngott (d. 2007), and by her granddaughter, Elizabeth Marie Stevens (d. 1993). She was the mother of Louise Marie Kenngott Stevens (John) of Bozeman, MT, and grandmother of Matthew and Thomas Stevens.

There will be a private family graveside service at Wauwatosa Cemetery. Memorial donations may be sent to the Lutheran Home, the Wauwatosa Congregational Church, or Frankly Music.