Dorothy Lewis Kustel

Dorothy Lewis Kustel March 23, 1926 - August 27, 2006 Passed away peacefully with her family by her side in San Jose, August 27, 2006, at the age of 80. She had bravely fought ovarian cancer for the past four years. Dorothy was born in 1926 in Wilkinsburg, PA, and moved to California in 1931. "Dottie" was a member of the first graduating class of Abraham Lincoln High School. She graduated from San Jose State in 1947. It was at San Jose State where she met her future husband, Harvey H. Kustel. He had just returned from World War II, and by virtue of a professor's practice of seating the class in alphabetical order, sat directly in front of her. They were married at the Calvary Methodist Church in San Jose on her 21st birthday, and celebrated 53 years of loving marriage before Harvey died in 2000. Dottie taught in the San Jose Unified School District for 19 years, including stints at Empire Gardens, Schallenberger, and Canoas Gardens Elementary Schools. She loved to travel (visiting over 40 countries in her life), play bridge, and most of all, be with her family. She was an extraordinary pie maker. She is survived by her children: Kathy Vineyard and husband, John of San Jose; Robert Kustel and wife, Karen of Mill Valley; and Peggy Daulton and husband, Russ of Hillsborough; and five grandchildren: Kimber, Scott, and Jaimee Daulton, and Matthew and Samuel Kustel. She also leaves seven nieces and nephews and many dear friends. Dorothy was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star in San Jose and the California Retired Teachers Association. She was a longtime volunteer at Books Aloud of San Jose, a nonprofit organization that records and lends books on tape for the blind and disabled community. She will be put to rest next to her beloved husband, and near her parents, Edith and Forster Lewis in the Oak Hill Cemetery overlooking the Santa Clara Valley. Her life will be celebrated with a Memorial Service Sat, Sept. 2, at 11 a.m., at Calvary Methodist Church, 729 Morse St., San Jose, CA. The family requests memorial contributions be made to Books Aloud, 150 E. San Fernando St., San Jose, CA 95112, or Hospice of the Valley, San Jose.